Twenty-one red handfish hatchlings have arrived in the second ever conservation breeding event in captivity – and it’s an essential part of protecting this critically endangered species from extinction.
“Despite being a small clutch, this is actually equivalent to a quarter of the known wild red handfish population in Tasmania – so it’s very encouraging to have successfully bred the species in captivity in two consecutive breeding seasons,” said IMAS researcher Dr Andrew Trotter, who co-leads the conservation breeding program at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).
Dr Trotter said the eggs took just over 50 days to hatch, and were cared for by their doting mother the entire time.
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