denise
08-12-2008, 04:49 PM
Rays are a group of 400 plus species of flattened fish, close relatives and descendants of sharks. Similar to sharks, rays have no bones, but instead their skeleton is made of cartilage. heir eyes are located on the upper, dark colored surface of the body and with mouth and gills located on the lower, light colored surface. They have massively enlarged pectoral fins, which provides greater propulsion, similar to birds wings, and moves them through the water at a slow pace.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/1/3/0/3/yellowraypattysimone.jpg
Yellow Ray at Blue Heron Bridge
Photo by Patricia Simone
Rays have small mouths containing blunt teeth, adapted for crushing mollusks and crustaceans which forms their staple diet. Rays live on the ocean bottom, often burying themselves in the sand when not in search of food. They can also change colors to camouflage themselves.
Rays have a very high ratio of brain weight to body weight; they are probably very intelligent, and smarter than sharks! They are very curious animals, and often approach and observe divers.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/stingrayinsand.jpg
Southern Stingray, Dasyatis americana, almost completely camouflaged in sand, Pompano Beach
When not hiding or resting, southern stingrays feed at night on crabs, clams, shrimp, worms and small fish. As their eyes are on top of their bodies, they depend on electro-receptors and their keen sense of smell and touch to find food. To uncover buried prey, stingrays force jet streams of water through their mouths or flop their fins over the sand. Southern stingrays have very few natural predators other than the occasional lemon or hammerhead shark, and are not targeted by human fisheries. They are abundant off the coast of Florida and the Bahamas.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/southernstingrayscott.jpg
Looking down at a Southern Stingray, West Palm Beach
Photo by Scott LaPointe
Female southern stingrays are much larger than the males, and can measure more than 6 feet across. The maximum recorded weight of a female southern stingray is 300 pounds!
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/southernstingrayfederico_1.jpg
Southern Stingray, Key Largo
Photo by Federico Arismendi
Southern stingrays often visit cleaning stations where wrasse and and hogfish eat the harmful parasites and excess mucus from the stingrays’ bodies. This is a beneficial relationship; the stingrays get cleaned up, and the smaller fish get a meal out of their hard work!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/yelloray123.jpg
Yellow Stringray, Urolophus jamaicensis, foraging at night, Jupiter Beach.
This ray is by far the most common ray in Florida, and they are very abundant in South Florida and the Keys. They usually live in shallow bays, estuaries and low-energy surf zones, from the shoreline to a depth of 100 feet. They often bury themselves in the sand. They feed on shrimps, small fish, clams and worms, that they excavate from the sand using their pectoral fins.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/yellowrayrob_1.jpg
Yellow stingray, West Palm Beach
Photo by Robert Palmer
Yellow stingrays are not a threat to divers, but they can inflict a painful sting with its venomous spine if it is accidentally stepped on.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/eaglerayrebecca_1.jpg
Spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, St. Martin
Photo by Rebecca Riddle
http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/1/1/8/5/spottedeaglerayjoe_1.jpg
Spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, West Palm Beach
Photo by Joe Stillman
The spotted eagle ray is commonly seen in bays and along coral reefs, to depths of 200 feet. They spend most of their time swimming in schools in open water, often quite close to the surface. Spotted eagle rays can leap completely out of the water when pursued by predators such as sharks.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/1/3/0/3/yellowraypattysimone.jpg
Yellow Ray at Blue Heron Bridge
Photo by Patricia Simone
Rays have small mouths containing blunt teeth, adapted for crushing mollusks and crustaceans which forms their staple diet. Rays live on the ocean bottom, often burying themselves in the sand when not in search of food. They can also change colors to camouflage themselves.
Rays have a very high ratio of brain weight to body weight; they are probably very intelligent, and smarter than sharks! They are very curious animals, and often approach and observe divers.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/stingrayinsand.jpg
Southern Stingray, Dasyatis americana, almost completely camouflaged in sand, Pompano Beach
When not hiding or resting, southern stingrays feed at night on crabs, clams, shrimp, worms and small fish. As their eyes are on top of their bodies, they depend on electro-receptors and their keen sense of smell and touch to find food. To uncover buried prey, stingrays force jet streams of water through their mouths or flop their fins over the sand. Southern stingrays have very few natural predators other than the occasional lemon or hammerhead shark, and are not targeted by human fisheries. They are abundant off the coast of Florida and the Bahamas.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/southernstingrayscott.jpg
Looking down at a Southern Stingray, West Palm Beach
Photo by Scott LaPointe
Female southern stingrays are much larger than the males, and can measure more than 6 feet across. The maximum recorded weight of a female southern stingray is 300 pounds!
http://www.dayo.com/fishid/southernstingrayfederico_1.jpg
Southern Stingray, Key Largo
Photo by Federico Arismendi
Southern stingrays often visit cleaning stations where wrasse and and hogfish eat the harmful parasites and excess mucus from the stingrays’ bodies. This is a beneficial relationship; the stingrays get cleaned up, and the smaller fish get a meal out of their hard work!
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/yelloray123.jpg
Yellow Stringray, Urolophus jamaicensis, foraging at night, Jupiter Beach.
This ray is by far the most common ray in Florida, and they are very abundant in South Florida and the Keys. They usually live in shallow bays, estuaries and low-energy surf zones, from the shoreline to a depth of 100 feet. They often bury themselves in the sand. They feed on shrimps, small fish, clams and worms, that they excavate from the sand using their pectoral fins.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/yellowrayrob_1.jpg
Yellow stingray, West Palm Beach
Photo by Robert Palmer
Yellow stingrays are not a threat to divers, but they can inflict a painful sting with its venomous spine if it is accidentally stepped on.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/eaglerayrebecca_1.jpg
Spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, St. Martin
Photo by Rebecca Riddle
http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/1/1/8/5/spottedeaglerayjoe_1.jpg
Spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, West Palm Beach
Photo by Joe Stillman
The spotted eagle ray is commonly seen in bays and along coral reefs, to depths of 200 feet. They spend most of their time swimming in schools in open water, often quite close to the surface. Spotted eagle rays can leap completely out of the water when pursued by predators such as sharks.