Yesterday I saw one of the coolest things I ever done seen...

[diver_doug]

I wish I had a picture or some video footage, but I don't. It was a baby bat ray...and I mean BABY. From wingtip to wingtip this little guy was about 6 inches. I saw it in the sand and hovered over it for a few seconds just sorta mesmerized by what a perfect miniature "replica" it was...I mean everything from the shape to the body/tail ratio to the way the top kinda humps up was identical albeit the little dude was about 95%smaller than the many bat rays I had seen before. When it realized I was there it took off and flapped it's little bat wings with the same precision and fluidity of an adult but was slow enough for me to follow it around for a couple of minutes. I see bat rays almost everytime I dive laguna but I had never seen a baby before...super cool.

 

[fnfalman]

Very cool!!!

On the far side of Santa Cruz Island, there's a section shallow, sandy bottom that look like a breeding ground for flat fish (I can't tell if these babies were turbots or halibuts), there were simply thousands of these nearly transparent suckers on the sand. You run your hand across the sand and they scatter everywhere.

 

[knowone]

We've got some black ray somethings, in Melbourne
similar latitude, saw one in the shallows 2" wide


Got out quick, mum blocks out the sun.

 

[drbill]

Very cool. I've never seen a real baby. One woman saw a bat ray giving birth right in the Casino Point dive park.

 

[merxlin]

Very cool. I've never seen a real baby. One woman saw a bat ray giving birth right in the Casino Point dive park.

That would be very cool to see!

 

[drbill]

At least I've seen (and filmed) them doing what is required to produce those babies!

 

[Craig Hoover]

Very cool. I've never seen a real baby. One woman saw a bat ray giving birth right in the Casino Point dive park.

Hey Dr. Bill,

Do bat rays give birth to live young? If so does anyone know the average size of the babies when born?

Dume Cove has been a reliable place to see congregations of adult bat rays. I missed the event these past two years because of explorations further from home. The first two weeks of July were good for the preceding five years. Any information on the gestation period would also be helpful.

 

[USCScubaboy]

Where were you when you saw this one? Was at Vet's Park on monday night and saw tons of baby thornback rays.

 

[diver_doug]

Where were you when you saw this one? Was at Vet's Park on monday night and saw tons of baby thornback rays.

It was at Crescent Bay in Laguna. It wasn't very far off shore at all and it was only in about 10fsw...an alert snorkeler could've spotted it.