Newborn stingrays

GraysonDave · Post by **GraysonDave** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 1:49 pm

From twitter. Kinda cute, I thought.

Teresa_Rae · Post by **Teresa_Rae** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 2:32 pm

I've never given any thought to what a baby string ray would look like, how cute!

Some interesting tidbits from Wikipedia on string ray reproduction:

When a male is courting a female, he will follow her closely, biting at her pectoral disc. He then places one of his two claspers into her valve.

Stingrays are ovoviviparous, bearing live young in "litters" of five to 13. The female holds the embryos in the womb without a placenta. Instead, the embryos absorb nutrients from a yolk sac, and after the sac is depleted, the mother provides uterine "milk".

At the Sea Life London Aquarium, two female stingrays have delivered seven baby stingrays, although the mothers have not been near a male for two years. "Rays have been known to store sperm and not give birth until they decide the timing is right".

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:47 pm

LOVE the picture and the extra information from Teresa_Rae! Fascinating stuff. Thank you both!

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 7:43 am

Oh how cool! Someone posted a video recently on FB, of newborn stingrays emerging from their egg casings. The casings were very familiar to anyone who's spent time at Eastern US beaches (maybe Western too), but I didn't know what they'd held until I saw the video. Google it - it's cool!

EagleRayLover · Post by **EagleRayLover** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 8:18 am

While on Water Island, I was lucky enough to see newborn stingrays. A little girl put them in a plastic cup buried in the sand for all to see and then at day's end, let them go back in the sea. Any of you who know me - know my fascination with Rays of all kinds. It was a pleasure seeing these little babies. ( if I was a yacht girl I would put the pic up but since that has never worked when I have tried before,I'm not even going to try!! )

onthelake · Post by **onthelake** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 10:24 am

WOW

Great Picture and info!

Pam

Nancie-Pa · Post by **Nancie-Pa** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:31 am

They look like characters that would be used in a Pixar or Disney animated film!

snorkeler525 · Post by **snorkeler525** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:55 am

mindehankins wrote:Oh how cool! Someone posted a video recently on FB, of newborn stingrays emerging from their egg casings. The casings were very familiar to anyone who's spent time at Eastern US beaches (maybe Western too), but I didn't know what they'd held until I saw the video. Google it - it's cool!

All rays give live birth so the things you saw emerging from egg casings would be skates. Skates and rays look very similar; the primary difference between them is how they give birth.

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