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photos of rays
and skates
To see more rays and skates
pictures, click here
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photo of school of Smoothtail Mobula Rays
Mobula munkiana in Galapagos |
marine photos of Big Skates. Underside showing mouth nostrils and
gills. |
Manta Ray feeding at night, picture by
Brandon Cole |
Southern Stingray stock image from
Belize, Dasyatis americana |
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common
name |
various
species |
| scientific
name |
various
species |
| range |
worldwide |
viewing
hotspots |
many |
| habitat |
varying |
| size |
varying |
| diet |
varying |
| trivia |
see right |
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Elasmobranch relatives of
the sharks (from which they evolved some 150 million years ago),
rays and skates number some 600 species. More have yet to be
described. Generally speaking, rays and skates have a flattened body
plan, with pectoral fins joined to form a central disc or
"wings". Gill slits are on the undersurface, rather than
along the sides of the head as in sharks.
There’s a huge diversity in species, from
frisbee-sized skates to manta rays as large as a hang-glider. As
with the sharks, there’s no one "generic" ray or skate.
Some live pressed flat to the bottom, others soar the open blue.
Many live solitary lives, while others school in groups hundreds
strong. Electric rays can deliver a debilitating shock, stingrays
inflict a painful wound if stepped on, and a freshwater sawfish
could chop you up into kindling (joke). The vast majority are
completely harmless.
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| KEYWORDS
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southern stingrays, southern, stingray, stingrays, marbled ray, marbled
rays, marble ray, marble rays, marbled, marble, Mobula munkiana, Taeniura meyeni,
Manta birostris, Dasyatis americana, fish, elasmobranch, elasmobranchs, photo, photos, photograph, photographs,
picture, pictures, stock, photography, marine, underwater |
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