Stingray pups released off Vetch’s Pier
uShaka Sea World released four Thorntail stingray pups off Vetch's Pier on Tuesday.
FOUR thorntail stingray (Dasyatisthetidis) pups, born in the Open Ocean Exhibit at uShaka Sea World last Friday, 16 March, were released off Vetch’s Pier on Tuesday.
The 40cm-wide pups, all of which are miniature replicas of their mum, are fully independent from birth and designed to survive on their own.
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The uShaka aquarists monitored the quadruplets in the exhibit over the weekend and as all four were reported to be in good health, they were deemed fit for release.
The uShaka Sea World divers gently lifted the pups out the exhibit after which they were weighed and measured before being taken down to the beach. Vetch’s Pier was chosen as an ideal release site because not only does it offer the pups protection from large predators, it also provides an ideal feeding ground for newborn rays who feed mainly on mussels, crabs and other crustaceans.
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