Female Southern Eagle Rays (Myliobatis australis) at Oceanworld Manly have given birth to 12 healthy pups under incredible circumstances in a fascinating display of natural behaviour.
The pups will be placed on display to public for the first time on the morning of Monday, February 21. The mother Southern Eagle Rays have been without male company since they arrived at Oceanworld Manly in January 2009.
So, it was much to the delight of Oceanworld staff when both Southern Eagle Rays delivered pups in January this year. It wasn’t a case of immaculate conception, but possibly through sperm storage. Sperm storage is a strategy that has been recorded in several other elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) where the female will store sperm in her reproductive tract for extended periods and only produce offspring when the
conditions are optimal.
“As far as we know, the two years that this sperm was stored is the longest duration of sperm storage for this species”, commented Rob Townsend, Life Sciences Manager at Oceanworld Manly. “After
spending a few weeks in our quarantine facility where we performed health checks and ensured they were eating well, they are now ready to move into our display tanks.”
The baby Eagle Rays will be moved into display tanks on the morning of Monday, February 21. Eagle rays grow up to 2.4m in length and have large pointed wings that they use to “fly” through the water, which
is how they got their common name.
Oceanworld Manly has an excellent history in captive breeding programs, with success with Seahorses, Cuttlefish, Port Jackson, Bamboo and Epaulette Sharks as well as the threatened Black Cod and critically
endangered Grey Nurse Shark.
www.oceanworld.com.au
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