As I believe I have mentioned in an earlier post, I really
don’t do fish, bony or cartilaginous. Still,
I made a promise to myself that I was going to make this blog more aquarium
friendly, and that means more fish stories.
With that in mind, I’d like to share some of the most exciting news from
the aquarium world today – the birth of six (seven if you count the stillborn)
shark rays at the Newport Aquarium.
A shark ray (also called guitarfish) is pretty much what it
sounds like – a fish that looks like a cross between a ray and a shark… and a
guitar. Sharks and rays are actually
very closely related, both being fish with skeletons of cartilage. I don’t know much about these guys and have
never seen one before. That shouldn’t be
too surprising, because I’ve never been diving in the Indo-Pacific region, and
as far as I can tell they are exhibited at Newport, and Newport only. This marks the first birth of this species in
captivity.
Here's some old footage of the aquarium's shark rays, just to give a feel for them...
Sweet Pea, the proud mamma herself, hasn’t been on display
lately – recognizing her need for privacy, the aquarists removed her
off-exhibit, but monitored her via remote cameras. I think that is actually one of the coolest
parts of this story (besides, I mean, the actual birth) – that the birth was
first noticed by a curator checking up his charge with his tablet… at home… at
5AM. The staff was on the scene in
minutes. Devotion!
Congratulations to Newport Aquarium on their historic
first. I hope to get out way one of
these days, but maybe if they have enough success, captive-bred shark rays will
be seen at aquariums across America.
Good luck with the little ones!
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