Baby Bat Rays

Spring and Summer are the seasons when many sharks, rays and skates breed in San Francisco Bay—and at the Aquarium.

When one of the female bat rays on display in the Sharks of Alcatraz exhibit grew significantly larger rather quickly, staff biologists briefly removed her from the exhibit and used an ultrasound scanner to determine if she was pregnant. Happily, staff discovered that the ray is carrying two developing embryos. If all goes well, the embryos will hatch in 5 to 10 months. The pups will be born tail-first, with their wing-like fins wrapped around their bodies.

Christina J. Slager, 6 2019