Twelve critically endangered giant shovelnose ray pups born in Sanya

Twelve giant shovelnose ray pups, a critically endangered species, have been successfully bred in captivity in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province.

Born on July 31, the pups are now about two weeks old and have begun feeding independently. All 12 are in good condition, with normal physiological development.

The pups, which measured about 34 to 35 centimeters at birth, can now eat six to seven pieces of shrimp each day. Staff closely monitor their feeding and remove leftover food to maintain water quality, said Zhang Jiayang, director of the aquarium.

The parent rays were conservation animals legally acquired by the aquarium in 2018. Signs of reproduction were observed last year, but the offspring failed to survive.

In May this year, staff confirmed that a female was pregnant and moved her to a separate breeding tank before she gave birth to the 12 pups on July 31.

The giant shovelnose ray is an important benthic cartilaginous fish found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific oceans.

It plays an important role in maintaining marine ecosystem balance and is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List due to a sharp decline in wild populations.

The species is highly sensitive to changes in water quality, temperature and its environment, making captive breeding particularly challenging.

It can take eight to 10 years to reach sexual maturity, said Zhang Jie, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Researchers will continue to monitor and care for the 12 pups, establish breeding records and improve the species' conservation database.

They also plan to work with international shark conservation organizations to advance captive breeding and ex situ conservation of cartilaginous fish in China.