Native Ray
Native Thornback, Blonde and Undulate Rays
If you want to get really close to our creatures then you MUST pay a visit to the Rays. You’ll find them in the Ray Tank, opposite the cafe. During talks and demos you may get the chance to feed them fish called Sprats, chopped squid, Whiting and Mackerel. They also eat large pellet feeds.
The rays are not dangerous and have no venomous barb on the tip of their tail. They cannot generate electricity. However, they do have quite sharp ridges and spikes on their topmost sides.
We do not allow our guests to touch the Rays because excessive touching of the Rays disrupts their protective slime coating. This coating is the fish’s first line of defence from external parasites and illnesses. It protects the animals’ wellbeing. Also, excessive handling is unnatural and potentially stressful.
If you spot Rays in the tank with wounds on them it may be because of their mating practice whereby the male uses his claspers (either side of this tail) to clasp on to the female.