Three extremely rare giant polka dot freshwater stingrays have been donated to Blue Planet Aquarium at Cheshire Oaks.

The extraordinary-looking black and white-spotted fish, each measuring close to 80cms in diameter, are from a large private collection.

The trio, a male and two females, have gone on display in the aquarium’s new ‘Flooded Forest’ display which replicates a South American freshwater habitat.

Blue Planet Aquarium’s freshwater specialist, Steve Chester, said: “As a team we are delighted to receive such beautiful specimens of a superb species.

“The fish are under my care as freshwater aquarist, so it’s a big responsibility but they’re already feeding and acting like they have been here far longer than 48 hours!

“We would like to thank the collector for his very kind donation and we’d also like to thank Pier Aquatics of Wigan who imported them at a young age and also assisted with the donation and transport of these marvellous fish.

“I feel very privileged to look after these creatures; they are drop dead gorgeous and are already a firm favourite with both staff and visitors alike,” he added.

In the wild, the fish are only found in the Rio Xingu a 1,230-mile long South eastern tributary of the mighty Amazon river.

Although fish numbers in the tributary are currently stable, a recent project to build a huge hydroelectric dam across the Rio Xingu has left their long-term future in doubt.

“The dam will have a huge impact on this area, it will create a huge lake behind the wall,” said Steve.

“Many of the fish are adapted to live in the fast flowing river and not slow deep lakes, also affected will be the spawning migration routes and, if fish cannot travel to spawning grounds, many species will be lost,” he added.

With the species under increasing threat in the wild, the aquarium is hoping its new arrivals will help boost numbers in captivity.

“Polka dot stingrays give birth to live young after a three-month gestation. Both our females have already successfully bred, producing a total of 13 pups,” said Steve.

“We have every hope they will continue breeding in our tanks and young captive-bred fish can be distributed to other public aquariums around Europe,” he added.

The fish also featured in a recent episode of Jeremy Wade’s TV series River Monsters .