Page 336 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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ORDER MYLIOBATIFORMES Stingrays are feared because their crustaceans, and worms. Because its
long tails are equipped with one or eyes are on top of its head, it cannot
Southern Stingray more daggerlike, venomous spines. see its prey but uses smell and
The southern stingray has a single, electro-receptors to detect it. While it
Dasyatis americana serrated spine about midway along the is buried, its spiracles—through which
WIDTH (WINGSPAN) tail and a flap of skin, also known as it draws in water for breathing—are
6 1 / 2 ft (2 m) a finfold, on the underside of the tail. visible as a pair of holes in the sand.
WEIGHT Its thick disk is dark gray on top and People are often stung when they
Up to 300 lb (135 kg) white underneath. This stingray spends inadvertently step on southern
DEPTH most of the day lying buried in the stingrays; the stinging spine is sharp
0–180 ft (0–55 m) sand at the bottom of shallow lagoons enough to cause a serious wound
DISTRIBUTION Western Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and off beaches. At night, the ray feeds and the venom causes severe pain.
Caribbean Sea by excavating holes in the sand and The pain can be reduced by
crunching up bivalve mollusks, immersing the wound in hot water.

ORDER RAJIFORMES its huge triangular wings slowly up
and down. On either side of the
Manta Ray mouth, which is at the front of the
head instead of on the underside as
Manta birostris in other rays, are two long lobes, called
WIDTH (WINGSPAN) Up cephalic horns, that funnel plankton
to 26 ft (8 m) into the mouth. These are the origin
WEIGHT Up to of its other name of Devil Ray.
4,000 lb (1.8 metric tons) A short, sticklike tail trails behind.
DEPTH 0–80 ft (0–24 m); On coral reefs, manta rays tend
usually near surface to congregate over high points where
DISTRIBUTION Surface tropical waters worldwide, currents bring plankton up to them.
sometimes warm temperate areas Small fish called remoras often travel
attached to these giants. Despite their
Divers often describe the experience huge size, these rays can leap clear of
of swimming beneath a manta ray as the water, occasionally giving birth to
like being overtaken by a huge flying their young as they do so. The Manta
saucer. This ray is the biggest in the ray is also sociable with divers in some
world, but like the biggest shark, sites, and has been known to
inshore into inlets and bays to forage the whale shark, it is a harmless “dance” with them.
ORDER MYLIOBATIFORMES
for invertebrates among seagrass and consumer of plankton and small fish.
Round Stingray bask in the warm-water shallows. When feeding, it swims along with its
Females arrive in the shallows around cavernous mouth wide open, beating
June ready to breed, and the males,
Urolophus halleri
LENGTH who are already there, swim along the
23 in (58 cm) including tail shoreline looking for suitable mates.
WEIGHT Sexually mature females are reported
3 lb (1.4 kg) to give off an electrical field that the
DEPTH males can sense. Females give birth
0–300 ft (0–90 m) about three months after mating to
DISTRIBUTION Eastern Pacific about six live young. The juveniles
stay inshore, where there are fewer
As its name suggests, the Round predators, until they mature. When
Stingray has an almost circular disk. out foraging, they do not stray too
OCEAN LIFE other stingrays and the tail ends include the Northern Elephant Seal
far, remaining within an area of about
This species and its relatives the
“stingarees” have shorter tails than
1 square mile (2.5 square km).
Predators of the Round Stingray
in a leaf-shaped fin. The Round
and the Black Sea Bass. They are also
Stingray varies in color from pale to
dark brown and can be either plain
likely to be hunted by large carnivorous
or mottled with darker spots and
fish such as sharks. The Round
reticulations. These rays are most often
Stingray’s sting is painful and can
cause minor injuries.
seen in summer, when they move