Officials release update about Charlotte the virgin stingray's pregnancy as ... trends now
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Charlotte the stingray's followers were left disappointed on Wednesday when a video showed she still has not given birth months after her supposed 'immaculate conception.'
The Aquarium & Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, shocked the world in February when it announced that Charlotte had gotten pregnant through parthenogenesis - a scientific term for a virgin birth.
At the time, the team said she was due to give birth 'any day'.
Team ECCO confirmed that Charlotte is healthy in an Instagram post released Wednesday, but did not provide additional details specifying when she is due.
According to marine experts, round stingrays' gestation period usually lasts between three and four months but can last longer depending on the temperature of the water.
Charlotte the stingray is at the Shark & Lab Aquarium in Hendersonville, North Carolina where experts say she is having a virgin birth
The aquarium released an ultrasound of Charlotte's pup (pictured) in early March and said she was due to give birth 'any day now'
The aquarium said that Charlotte was due to give birth 'any day now' in its February announcement, but has now resorted to video updates of the stingray swimming around her tank.
'She continues to be healthy and has a great appetite!' the aquarium wrote in the post last night, adding: 'She also initiates interactions with the divers and guests as seen in this video with diver Jacob!'
The video shows off Charlotte's swollen belly as she swims to the diver and accepts treats from his hand.
In March, Kevin Feldheim, a researcher at Chicago’s Field Museum, told DailyMail.com that it's difficult to know exactly when the stingray will give birth because this is the first
