- SEA LIFE, Bay of Rays
Be enchanted by our assortment of amazing rays!
Our resident rays are particularly Native Thornback, Blonde and Painted Rays. They are native to the UK and if you want to get really close to our creatures then you MUST pay a visit to the Bay of Rays zone. You will get a chance to find out more about our Rays with talks and demos from our team of SEA LIFE experts.
Most of our Rays are adults at 5-7 years old. They 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!
WOW Fact!
When they are born, baby rays are so small and see-through that their gills and stomach are visible through their skin!
Protective Shield!
We do not allow our guests to touch the Rays as excessive touching disrupts their protective slime coating. This coating is the fish’s first line of defence from external parasites and illnesses.
Breeding
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.
Bowmouth Guitar Shark
This wonderfully bizarre animal is called a Bowmouth Guitarfish. Though it is classified as a Ray, really it is half Ray and half Shark! Rays evolved from Sharks but this species stopped somewhere in-between.
They are typically encountered on or near the bottom of the sea bed, though on occasion they may be seen swimming well above it. They generally are more active swimmers at night.
