Janelle Irwin Taylor
A cownose stingray gave birth at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa this week. The pup was. The third born at the aquarium in recent weeks.
The pup, named Bimini, was born Monday at about 2 p.m. on World Oceans Day. The pup’s mom was in labor for a little over an hour.
Bimini joins two other pups born in recent weeks, Kitts and Nevis, all named after the geological regions in which they are found.
The Aquarium is expecting pups from four more mothers within the next months. Cownose stingrays can be pregnant from 10-12 months and typically have one to two pups at a time.
The aquarium reports that Bimini is doing well and will be moved into the stingray nursery with the other two pups within the next few days.
Lucky patrons at the aquarium caught the birth on camera. Footage shows Bimini’s mom swimming around the tank, Bimini’s small head visible as the pup prepares to enter the aquatic world. As Bimini begins to crown, the crowd sighs in anticipation before cheers erupt as the pup drops from its mother into the tank.
Within minutes the pup was swimming alongside the adult stingrays.
Watch the breathtaking video below:
