Stingray : Classification
STINGRAY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Dasyatidae
Genus: Dasyatis
Species: D. pastinaca
The stingray is a flat marine fish found in warmer waters around the globe. The stingray is belongs to the same group of fish as other ray and is also believed to be closely related to sharks.
The stingray inhabits the warmer tropical waters around the world generally in the slightly deeper waters rather than the shallows. When the weather begins to cool, the stingray will retreat further into the depths of the ocean.
The stingray is most well known for the stinger that is present on the end of the tail of the stingray. The Stingray uses the stinger on the end of its long tail pierce through and stop it's prey before it can escape.
The stingray's stinger is razor-sharp, barbed or serrated and attached to the stingray's thin tail. This means the stingray can whip it's stinger to pretty much anywhere, extremely quickly as the long, thin tail of the stingray is extremely agile and very flexible.
The size of a sting really is dependent on what species of stingray it is. Some species of stingray in the deep ocean get up to 14ft long including the tail and these species of stingray naturally have a larger stinger. The smaller stingray species tend to have small stingers, so that the stinger is relevant to the size of the body of the stingray.
The stingray is a carnivorous animal, meaning that the stingray only feeds on other animals and does not eat plants. The stingray preys on a wide variety of species in the sea including crabs, mollusks, clams, oysters, snails and some species of fish.
The stingray has few natural predators in its natural environment mainly due to the large size of the stingray. Stingrays are also able to use their flattened body shape to their advantage by resting on the sea floor and therefore able to hide from predators as well as keep an eye out for potential prey. The main predators of the stingrays are sharks, seals, sea lions and large species of carnivorous fish along with humans.
Stingrays are ovoviviparous, meaning the mother nourishes the unborn baby rays inside her body. Stingrays breed during the winter and the female stingray gives birth to live young usually between 5 and 15 baby stingrays, known as a litter. The baby stingrays develop inside the mother stingray for around 9 months and feed off the remaining yolk in their eggs sacks. When this runs out, the baby stingrays are feed milk in the uterus of the female stingray. When the baby stingrays are born, they are able to swim about and begin hunting with their mother.
The uniqueness of Stingray :
1. Rays and skates are flattened fish closely related to sharks. All belong to a group of fish called Elasmobranchs. Stingrays and sharks belong to the same group of cartilaginous fish. This means that instead of bones, they’re supported by skeletons of cartilage.
2. These guys are pretty unique as they have no bones in their body – their skeleton is made up of flexible cartilage (the bendy stuff that your ears and nose are made from!).
3.. Rays protect themselves with venomous spines or barbs in their tail. Skates rely on thorny projections on their backs and tails.
4. Electric rays are named for their ability to generate and discharge a strong electric current to stun prey and for defense from potential predators.
5. Stingrays are good at hiding
Their mottled skin, ranging from a light sandy tone to a dark brown, gives them the perfect camouflage for chilling out on the sea floor until a tasty meal comes their way. It also keeps them hidden from predators of their own like killer whales and hammerhead sharks. To add an extra element of protection, stingrays will stir up sand with their wings while burying themselves head-first.
Source :
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/stingray/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_stingray
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-life-cycle-sting-ray-308445
Komentar
Posting Komentar