Ray Reef
Encyclopedia
Ray Reef is a ray
exhibit located at the Sea World
theme park on the Gold Coast
, Australia
. The exhibit opened on 14 January 2009.
in May 2002, several proposals were made for the site. In 2005, a seal exhibit, aptly named Seal Rocks, was proposed for the area. From 2006 to 2008 the site was home to the temporary Sea World Eye. Following the removal of the Sea World Eye in 2008, a hippopotamus attraction was proposed for the site. In September 2008, work began on the site for a yet-to-be-named ray exhibit. By October, the name of the exhibit was announced to be Ray Reef. It was originally scheduled that the exhibit would open on Boxing Day 2008 (26 December 2008), however, a number of delays forced it to open on 14 January 2009.
s, bluespotted stingray
s, estuary stingrays and giant shovelnose rays. For a set fee, guests are able to purchase fish to hand feed the rays. Circling the main lagoon are a series of educational billboards which provide a variety of information about rays and their environment.
Batoidea
Batoidea is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as rays and skates, containing more than 500 described species in thirteen families...
exhibit located at the Sea World
Sea World
Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...
theme park on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The exhibit opened on 14 January 2009.
History
Following the closure and removal of the Thrillseeker roller coasterRoller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
in May 2002, several proposals were made for the site. In 2005, a seal exhibit, aptly named Seal Rocks, was proposed for the area. From 2006 to 2008 the site was home to the temporary Sea World Eye. Following the removal of the Sea World Eye in 2008, a hippopotamus attraction was proposed for the site. In September 2008, work began on the site for a yet-to-be-named ray exhibit. By October, the name of the exhibit was announced to be Ray Reef. It was originally scheduled that the exhibit would open on Boxing Day 2008 (26 December 2008), however, a number of delays forced it to open on 14 January 2009.
Exhibit
Ray Reef consists of a large lagoon pool and a smaller pool which together are home to more than 100 rays. The Ray Reef area is located under large shade cloths providing shade for guests and rays alike. The whole lagoon is divided in two by a rock wall. The smaller pool contains smaller rays whilst the larger pool contains larger rays. Species within the exhibit include eagle rayEagle ray
The eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fishes in the family Myliobatidae, consisting mostly of large species living in the open ocean rather than on the sea bottom....
s, bluespotted stingray
Bluespotted stingray
The bluespotted stingray or Kuhl's stingray, is a species of stingray of the Dasyatidae family. It is light green with blue spots. Their disk width hovers around . They are popular in aquaria but usually not distinguished from the Bluespotted ribbontail ray...
s, estuary stingrays and giant shovelnose rays. For a set fee, guests are able to purchase fish to hand feed the rays. Circling the main lagoon are a series of educational billboards which provide a variety of information about rays and their environment.
See also
- Stingray Lagoon at SeaWorld Orlando, a similar style of exhibit