Ray Offspring at the Vienna House of the Sea
Three blue-spotted mask rays have been born in the House of the Sea in Vienna. They can be seen in the mangrove aquarium on the 8th floor.
Offspring of the Rays in Vienna's House of the Sea
The species has been bred here, and since 2010, the House of the Sea has coordinated their breeding across Europe. This contributes to the preservation of the species. Many of the animals born here have already been transferred to other European aquariums, it was stated in a release on Tuesday.
"Our breeding program is scientifically accompanied and genetically monitored," said Daniel Abed-Navandi, marine biologist and responsible curator. "This ensures that there is neither inbreeding nor crossbreeding with externally similar mask ray species - an important prerequisite for healthy and genetically stable offspring over many generations."
Ray Species Populations in Southeast Asia Endangered
Blue-spotted mask rays reach an age of about 14 years, are viviparous, and give birth to one to three fairly large young after a gestation period of four months. Their natural habitat is shallow, sandy sea floors in the Indo-Pacific - from East Africa to Australia. Particularly in Southeast Asia, the populations of this ray species are increasingly under pressure: The use of ever more efficient bottom trawls has drastically increased fish catches in recent years, it was stated. Since the "final destination" of the rays is sometimes also the cooking pots of people, conservation breeding in human care is important.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.