This Mother’s Day, let’s all give a shout-out to the hardest-working moms we know.
They don’t always get the attention they deserve, but they go above and beyond to make sure we’re safe, healthy
and thriving. Meet some of our most iconic marine moms:
The colorful African cichlid (pronounced “sick-lid”) is a mouthbrooder, which means she cares for her eggs by keeping them in her mouth for up to three weeks! This behavior keeps the babies – called “fry” – safe from predators and rough currents. Once they’ve hatched, she’ll release them but at the first sign of danger, she’ll scoop them up again. You can spot African cichlids swimming in the freshwater fishponds at the Cove.
Stingrays (like humans) carry their offspring in the uterus, and as gestation progresses, baby bumps appear on their backs. In fact, that’s usually the first indication we have that they’re pregnant. Stingray moms tend to rest and shelter more, saving energy to nourish their babies with uterine milk and to migrate to warmer waters to give birth. At Atlantis, give a virtual high-five to our Cownose rays, which carry their young for up to 12 months!
Hands down, the hardest-working marine moms are sea turtles. While she’s pregnant with an average of 80 to 120 eggs (wow!), she swims through the crashing surf and crawls up the beach searching for a nesting spot above the high-water mark. Using her back flippers, she digs a nest in the sand, slowly lays her eggs and then drags herself back to the ocean. In a single summer nesting season, a momma sea turtle can lay a group, or “clutch,” of eggs up to eight different times. Fun fact: the warmer the sand, the more females she’ll hatch.
- Make Dining Reservations?
- Buy a day pass?
- Book Transportation?