Aww! Stingray pups named Dallas and Clementine born at Brevard Zoo
Jennifer SangalangBrevard Zoo has added to its already large family.
The zoo's southern stingray, Belle, gave birth to two stingray pups on Tuesday. Named Dallas and Clementine, the baby sea rays weighed less than a pound at birth.
The sea rays, cartilaginous fish related to the shark family, will be isolated from other larger fish in a tank at the zoo.
“People tend to think all fish hatch from eggs, but that’s not true at all,” Michelle
Smurl, director of animal programs at the zoo, said in a news release. “Stingrays are born live, although they don’t receive maternal care like mammals.”
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Southern stingrays are native to shallow waters in the western Atlantic Ocean, and stingrays as a whole are threatened by overfishing, coastal development and climate change, the release states.
Dallas and Clementine join other babies born at the zoo within the past few months.
In April, Buffy the hyrax gave birth to two hyrax pups, Gnocchi and Hashbrown. Zookeepers named the male, Gnocchi, and female, Hashbrown, for their potato-like appearance.
On St. Patrick's Day, the zoo welcomed a 6-foot, 3.5-inch tall, 148-pound baby giraffe.
For more on Dallas, Clementine, Gnocchi, Hashbrown and the rest of the Brevard Zoo animal family, call 321-254-WILD (9453) or visit brevardzoo.org.
Sangalang is a digital producer at FLORIDA TODAY.
Contact Sangalang at 321-242-3630
or jsangalang@floridatoday.com.
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