Posts Tagged ‘great rays’
Giant Manta Ray Fish
This is truly the giant among 1. rays, the biggest living species and one of the so-called devil rays. Apart from its size, it is distinguished by strange paddle-like fins or lobes projecting from the front of its body, with the eyes on either side. These lobes look threatening, but are merely scoops that the ray unfurls when feeding, to direct food into its large, rectangular mouth. Giant mantas feed mainly on plankton - floating organisms - and some schooling fish. In spite of their size, they sometimes leap out of the water; this may be part of their courtship ritual, which is known to involve one or more males chasing a female for up to 30 minutes before mating.
Scientific name : Manta birostris
Classification : Order Myliobatiformes (great rays); sometimes included in Rajiformes
Family : Myliobatidae; sometimes placed in separate family Mobulidae
Size : Up to 8m (26ft) wide and possibly up to 3 tonnes
Distribution : Worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas
Habitat : Surface waters, mainly near shores and reefs, but also in open ocean
Diet : Mainly plankton; some small and medium-sized fish
Reproduction : Ovoviviparous; one or two young; gestation period uncertain
Common StingRay Fish
Slightly more rounded in outline than skates and true rays , the common eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stingray lives mostly in shallow water. One or sometimes two saw-toothed poisonous barbs, up to 35cm (14in) long, project from the top of its tail. If disturbed — perhaps by a diver or fisherman, or even by a bather stepping on the half-buried fish — it will lash with its tail and may stab or cut its victim seriously. Poison entering the wound from a gland at the base of the barb causes intense pain, but deaths are rare. However, a few people die worldwide each year from stingray stings, usually to the upper part of their body.
Scientific name : Dasyatis (or Trygon) pastinaca
Classification : Order Myliobatiformes (great rays); sometimes included in Rajiformes
Family : Dasyatidae
Size : Up to about 60cm (24in) wide; to about 1.5m (5ft) long
Distribution : Eastern Atlantic; Mediterranean
Habitat : Temperate coastal waters and estuaries, to 200m (650ft) deep
Diet : Bottom-living fish; crustaceans; molluscs
Reproduction : Ovoviviparous; four to seven young, born after 4-month gestation