Births at Nausicaá

With the Easter weekend and spring holidays just around the corner, the egg collecting activity has been fruitful for Nausicaá’s handlers, who are delighted to announce the births of two endangered species in their natural environment: a baby African penguin and a little undulate ray!

Two bright new developments heralding a busy time of the year for births.

The first birth of an undulate ray, with more to come

A sensational first for the Centre National de la Mer: an undulate ray is born!  After incubating for 4 months, the baby male was born on the 28th of March 2023.

The handlers, who had been waiting impatiently for this birth, did their utmost to protect the egg throughout the incubation period. Supervision, changing tanks and first aid for the newborn: they were on hand every step of the way.

The parents had in fact been moved from the tank to the reserves to reproduce more peacefully. They were accompanied by four other adult undulate rays that have spawned eggs that are due to hatch soon.

The baby undulate ray on the day it was born
It measures 12.5 cm and weighs 13 grams.
Some of the eggs have been sent to partner aquariums, while the others will remain in Nausicaá’s tanks.

This birth is all the more important as the undulate ray is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). In Europe, its status is “near threatened”. Consequently, it is included in a European conservation programme called EEP – Eaza Ex-situ programme. Preserving the species involves transferring the young to partner structures in the programme in order to guarantee a genetically and demographically healthy population.

Its population is declining rapidly, mainly due to overfishing, but its slow sexual maturity (around 3-4 years) and low fecundity are also having an impact on population growth.

💡 Did you know?

The undulate ray, also known as the undulate skate, lays rectangular eggs.

A new birth for endangered African penguins

This baby penguin, born on the 30th of March 2023, measures between 10 and 12 cm and weighs around 70 g. It will remain under the close supervision of its parents until it is two months old. At this stage, it will start to explore its environment. It will retain its juvenile plumage for its first year and will be on display for the public in the “In the Eye of the Climate ” exhibition

African penguins are an endangered species, so this birth is part of the European conservation programme.

More penguin eggs are expected to hatch in the coming weeks.

💡 Did you know?

The sex of the baby penguin will be revealed in two months’ time, once the first feathers have been analysed.

A few facts about eggs

Fish eggs, penguin eggs, shark and ray eggs, and even gecko eggs... at Nausicaá, thousands of eggs are laid every year, resulting in several hundred births inside the aquarium. In fact, the most common mode of reproduction in fish is oviparous, in other words, fish lay eggs. For example, in the Giant High Seas Tank, thousands of eggs are laid - more precisely, the females release eggs that are then fertilised by the males. This strategy of large numbers ensures the survival of species living in shoals, such as pilchards, which can lay up to 60,000 eggs. Their eggs are pelagic, i.e. they float on the surface like plankton and are preyed upon by other species that feed on them. The spawners reproduce but have no concern for their offspring.
In other species, the eggs are benthic, i.e. they settle and remain on the seabed thanks to a sticky substance that fixes them to a rock.