2024 March New Arrivals

April 1, 2024

In March, we welcomed a furry friend and a few aquatic animals to our family.

Join us in extending a warm welcome to the latest additions at the Texas State Aquarium. No April Fools joke here; these marine and furry friends are now part of our Aquarium family! Swing by and get acquainted with Raymond, the charming spotted eagle ray making waves in the H-E-B Caribbean Sea. Meet Ravioli, the delightful baby Atlantic stingray, now gracing our Caribbean Touch exhibit. And don’t miss the opportunity to see Bellatrix, our beautiful Peruvian pink-toed tarantula, nestled in the Caribbean Jungle Exhibit, right beside the flamingo exhibit.

Meet Raymond

Our staff recently introduced a spotted eagle ray named Raymond to the Caribbean Sea exhibit. Want a few fun facts? The spotted eagle stingray is easily recognized by its long, upward-facing snout, and their rather friendly-looking faces. Their plate-like mouths allow them to crush their food, including mollusks, crustaceans and worms. And just like our fingerprints, no two spotted eagle stingrays have the same spotting pattern on their backs.  

Meet Bellatrix

 Texas State Aquarium Caribbean Jungle exhibit is now home to a Peruvian pink-toed tarantula, named Bellatrix. The scientific name is Avicularia urticans, and this species of tarantula is found in South America. They love to find themselves in the highest corners of their enclosures, and Bellatrix is no different. The females can live up to three times longer than the males and will also typically be larger in size than their male counterparts. While these spiders in the wild are nocturnal by nature, they will spring into action at night to hunt down its prey of small mice, frogs and lizards. Under human care, Peruvian pink-toed tarantulas will be more than happy eating mealworms, roaches and crickets. 

Meet Ravioli

We have also added a little Atlantic stingray, Ravioli, to the touch tank in Caribbean Touch. This is one of the smaller species of rays, can reach up to about 2 feet wide, and are primarily found in estuaries and lakes. In the wild, this ray would feed on shrimp, crabs, mollusks, crustaceans and small fish. Atlantic stingrays are the only ray species that can survive their entire life in freshwater, along with brackish water or saltwater. When you come by the Aquarium, be sure to visit and say hello to our newest members to the Aquarium family!