A NEW fever of Common Stingrays and Common Eagle Rays have been welcomed to Deep Sea World in North Queensferry.
The group of fishy friends have been added to the aquariums underwater tunnel after an overnight transfer and a stint in the quarantine tank.
Five Common Stingrays, a species that can in fact be found in the United Kingdom, were introduced. They can live for up to 20 years and reach a width of 1.4m, although typically only reach an average of 50cm wide. Their long whip-like tail hides the stinging spine which gives them their scary sounding name.
Despite this the spine is only used in defence and stingrays are one of the friendliest animals at the aquarium. They can often be seen getting hand fed by the Deep Sea World divers.
In addition, a total of ten Common Eagle Rays were introduced too. In comparison, with their diamond shaped bodies and more distinct face, Eagle Rays are easily recognisable from their stingray cousins. They can live for around 25 years and can reach 80cm wide and up to 1.5m long. Their long thin tail can reach as much as twice the length of their body.
One thing they have in common, however, is that both of these species give birth to live young unlike other ray species who lay eggs.
The new species of Rays have now settled in and are on display at Deep Sea World. They can be found in the underwater tunnel living alongside the other inhabitants.
Visit Deep Sea World this Easter and go on a journey of education and discovery with the Sea Seekers event running between April 1 and April 23.
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