BABY STINGRAYS ARRIVE AT BRISTOL BLUE REEF
Tuesday, 8th December 2009
Eight baby stingrays are settling in to their new home at Bristol’s Blue Reef Aquarium.
The southern stingrays were born earlier this year and are part of a highly successful captive breeding programme at the new Harbourside attraction’s sister aquarium in Newquay, Cornwall.
They were transported in special containers - complete with their own filtration and heating systems - before being released in the aquarium’s giant rockpool display.
Blue Reef’s Susie Unsworth said: “Blue Reef is one of the few aquariums in the UK to have successfully bred this species of stingray in captivity and it’s great that we’ve been able to provide them with a purpose-built new display.
“They’re incredibly graceful looking fish and are settling in well to their new home. It’s also a very proud moment for the team from Newquay to see the babies that they have been caring for since birth doing so well,” she added.
Southern stingrays have a gestation period of about six months. The eggs hatch within the mother’s body and the pups are born live folded up like a newspaper.
In the wild they must immediately fend for themselves and it is believed their tail stings are fully functional from the moment they emerge from their mothers.
Related to sharks, stingrays get their name from the razor-sharp barb on their tails which the animal uses to defend itself when threatened.
Fully grown females can reach lengths of up to two metres and the heaviest recorded specimen weighed more than 135 kgs.
Since it opened on November 20th staff at the new £4m Harbourside attraction have been delighted with the public response – last weekend the aquarium welcomed more than 1,600 visitors.
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