Glimpse one of the world’s rarest rays (and other new marine creatures) at the SEA Aquarium

The ornate eagle ray. Photo: Resorts World Sentosa
The ornate eagle ray. Photo: Resorts World Sentosa

Pay a visit to the S.E.A. Aquarium this month and you’ll catch a glimpse of the endangered ornate eagle ray, one of the rarest rays in the world. The Resorts World Sentosa attraction is apparently the world’s first wildlife institution to feature the shy, elusive marine creature, which arrived at the aquarium in August.

Known for its distinct pattern of reticulate dark lines and rings on its back, the ray can grow up to 5m, with a wing span of 240cm and a whip-like tail that doesn’t have a stinging barb. The one in Singapore, which has a 120cm wingspan and weighs 15kg, came from Cairns Marine.

The ornate eagle ray. Photo: Resorts World Sentosa

Little is known about the ornate eagle ray, which the aquarium hopes to change by studying it to understand the species and help with the conservation of the creature. It’s currently listed as “endangered” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, due to its low reproduction rate and incidents of accidental capture by fisherman in the waters of Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Taiwan, and Thailand.

If you’re keen on spotting it, head over to the Shipwreck Habitat, where it swims around with other threatened species like the shark ray, green sea turtle, and hawksbill turtle.

Besides the ray, new additions to the aquarium include the Argentine humphead, Mauritius triggerfish, honeycomb cowfish, and bat ray.

Check them out below and see if you can recognize ’em at the aquarium.

The Argentine humphead is known for its pronounced forehead, which is more obvious in males than females. Photo: Resorts World Sentosa
The honeycomb cowfish has the ability to change color to protect itself from predators. When threatened or stressed, it secretes into the water a toxin from specialized skin cells, poisoning marine life in its vicinity. Photo: Resorts World Sentosa
A member of the eagle ray family, the bat ray possesses one to three venomous barbed spines at the base of its long tail, but it’s a docile creature that only stings in defence. Photo: Resorts World Sentosa
One of the rarest species of triggerfish (which are known for their nasty attitude when intruders approach their nests), the Mauritius triggerfish has an unusually elongated shape. Photo: Resorts World Sentosa


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