News from Portsmouth
LITTLE RAY OF HAPPINESS
A baby ray that appears to be smiling is proving a big hit with visitors to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Portsmouth.
The young thornback ray is just 12 centimetres long and is one of a dozen hatched from eggs known as "mermaid's purses".
They were born as part of a captive breeding programme at the award-winning Southsea attraction.
The baby rays are currently being looked after in a special nursery tank, but once large enough they will join adult thornbacks and a variety of sharks, in a huge, open-top pool.
A Blue Reef spokesman said the babies were proving very popular with visitors.
He said: "Their faces are very distinctive, especially the apparent smile.
"Some people have likened them to an alien or even the 'The Last Human' featured in Doctor Who.
"Thornbacks are the most common ray in British waters and can grow up to 1.2 metres in length," the spokesman said.
The species gets its name from the coarse prickles which cover their upper body.
Rays belong to the same family as sharks and are effectively 'flattened-out' versions of their close cousins. UK waters are home to up to nine different species including the electric ray and the giant skate which can reach lengths of up to three metres.
