Scientists are ringing in the holidays with a special celebration - the first birthday of the world’s first captive-born Maugean skate.
Last December, researchers from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) collected an adult female skate and 50 wild eggs from Macquarie Harbour.
The Christmas miracle, a healthy male skate, was the first wild egg to hatch from the batch last Christmas Eve in IMAS captive breeding facilities.
“It's an absolute honour to be celebrating a first birthday,” IMAS researcher and Maugean skate captive breeding program leader, Professor Jayson Semmens said.
“I would have never dreamt in my career that I would be contributing to helping maintain the existence of a species. It’s sobering when you think about it, especially all that we have achieved in just a year.”
To mark the special occasion, the IMAS team, in consultation with the university vets, have organised a special treat for the birthday skate.
“We’ll give our skate, including the birthday boy, a dog toy where we freeze squid, prawns and an oily fish to give them stimulation through problem solving,” Professor Semmens said.
After working around the clock including on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and over New Year’s last year, Professor Semmens said it has taken a village to help the skate thrive.
“There has been a huge amount of preparation that's gone into this. It’s been a truly collaborative effort – from the team at IMAS to the university vets and the Maugean Skate Recovery Team and associated experts – everyone has been putting so much effort into ensuring the skates’ survival,” he said.
“Getting to a year and being as successful as we are, having so many animals that are thriving, I would have never dreamt we'd be at this point in a year.”
This year, IMAS technical officer Charlotte Levi will be looking after the skate on Christmas Day for the first time, including feeding them a vet approved squid, prawn, fish and garlic lunch.
“I’m really excited to spend Christmas looking after the skate. It's the first Christmas that we've officially had with all our new hatchlings and our new wild hatchlings,” Charlotte said.
“We’re having so many hatchlings that there’s a high chance one could be born on Christmas Day.”
Charlotte said it was a privilege to work and take care of the endemic species. “We’re the only place in the whole world looking after them. They require 24-hour care and there's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that needs to be done, even on Christmas Day, to ensure that they're happy, healthy and thriving.”
The IMAS captive breeding program is supported by funding from the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species and Natural Heritage Trust Programs, through the Cradle Coast Authority, and funding from the Tasmanian Government’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas). Renovations to the existing IMAS captive breeding facilities are directly funded by NRE Tas.