In the 30 foot round pool where several Southern stingrays were being treated for bites caused during mating, Stoutt discovered a newborn stingray, the first ever born at Coral World.

The stingray pup, measuring approximately 8 inches from wing tip to wing tip, is healthy and doing very well, according to Peter Noah, Coral World's Vice President of Operations. "We are feeding him shrimp, clams and small bits of fish and just giving this little guy a lot of special attention," he said. While it's still too early to determine the sex of the stingray, the pup has been named "Hatch" after a stingray character in the Sea Tails line of children's clothing which will soon be for sale in the Coral World gift shop.

Southern stingrays are found throughout the Caribbean in shallow coastal habitats with sandy bottoms. They graze on the sandy ocean floor feeding on crustaceans and mollusks which they uncover from the sand by flapping their wings. Like their shark cousins, stingrays hatch from egg capsules inside the mother's uterus and are born soon afterwards. An adult Southern stingray will grow as big as 80 inches and weigh 215 pounds. The Southern stingray is not aggressive towards humans, however, it may use its spine for defense if stepped on.

Coral World's marine animal hospital was designed to hold injured turtles, stranded marine mammals and other sea life in need of special care. "The hospital pool provided the ideal environment for the mother stingray to pup," said Noah. "This facility is not only a great asset to Coral World but also an incredible resource for the entire region," he said. "It is the only marine animal hospital of its kind in the Eastern Caribbean."

Visitors to Coral World can catch a glimpse of "Hatch" swimming and burrowing in the sand at the park's Touch Pool. Eventually he will be moved to the Stingray Lagoon exhibit with a group of other juvenile stingrays.