Stingray but not fish crossword clue 5 letters. Mysterious stingray fish

How do you name these fish? sea cat, sea fox, sea devil, and from the nicknames of one of them you can make a whole orchestra - the Americans and the British call this fish a guitar, the Australians call it a banjo, the refined French call it a violin. And all the multitude of these fish, having different body shapes, sizes, living in all seas and oceans, and even in rivers, are called in one short word - STYLES.

They differ from other fish in their shape, body structure, method of movement, and way of life. Flat as a pancake, with eyes on the upper part of the body, with wing fins, these fish have different shape, color, size. The smallest representative of stingrays, the Indian electric stingray, is only thirteen centimeters in length and weighs negligibly. The largest ray, the manta ray, reaches seven meters in width and weighs up to two and a half tons.

Some stingrays are quite harmless, playful, not afraid of people, sometimes they allow people to come close to them and even allow themselves to be stroked. Others, on the contrary, are aggressive, cautious, do not allow anyone to approach them, can cause serious injury to a person, and in some cases cause death, as happened with the famous Australian naturalist Stephen Irwin. On September 4, 2006, during the filming of the film, a stingray stingray struck Irwin right in the heart with its spike.

In general, many consider stingrays to be dangerous animals. Some of them are very menacing in appearance, some can strike with their tail, or prick with their poisoned thorn. But nowhere has it happened that a stingray was the first to attack a person, for no reason whatsoever. Stingrays only become dangerous when they feel threatened. Such is the stingray. The closest relatives of stingrays are sharks. But, if sharks are active and fast predators, then the stingray is more likely a sybarite. Stingrays love warm coastal waters. And they prefer to hunt from ambush, waiting until the prey swims up to him. Excellent camouflage, they bury themselves in the sand so that only their eyes and part of their tail are visible. And it will be very bad for anyone who accidentally steps on a stingray.

Unlike its relatives - electric stingrays - the stingray does not threaten its opponent with an electric discharge. He has a different weapon - jagged on both sides poisonous thorn at the end of the tail. Defending itself, the stingray strikes the strongest blows tail. Moreover, at large fish this blow is so strong that it can even penetrate the boat. These stingrays can be the most different sizes. On the coast you can find both a small stingray, the size of a frying pan, and a giant stingray, reaching more than three and a half meters in length.

The stingray does not seek to harm humans. And he never attacks. It just so happens that quite often swimmers inadvertently step on a stingray buried in the sand. The consequences can be very dire, as happened with Irwin. Obviously, Steve, through some of his actions, provoked the stingray into defensive actions and he used his terrible weapon- poisoned thorn on the tail.

And here is another representative of these most interesting fish. Giant manta ray. "Manta" means "cloak" in Spanish. This stingray is also called the sea devil because of its horns on the front and giant wings. These manta fins are really like huge wings. They can reach seven meters in span. And these giants float as if they were flying, slowly flapping their wings, performing coups and turns of amazing grace and beauty, as if twirling in a fantastic dance.

Manta rays are the most mysterious of all rays. Until recently, they were very little studied. Yes, in fact, even now much less is known about them than about any other species. It was known about them that they live in all tropical oceans. They are most often found in the western part Pacific Ocean, off the eastern coast of Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef. They are also known to make small migrations. But where exactly they were sailing and where they were coming from was not known.

It was here, at this “cleaning station,” that manta rays were photographed from all angles, and scientists discovered that there were black spots on the manta’s snow-white belly. The location, shape and size of these spots are different for each animal. These spots are like human fingerprints. Using these spots, scientists were able to identify the manta rays. Currently, researchers have more than four hundred individuals in their database. But identifying animals is not enough. You also need to watch them. And researchers mark the mantas with special beacons and install special tracking devices on the ocean floor so that they can trace the mantas’ migration routes.

This is very important event in order to take measures to preserve these beautiful animals. Hunting for them is prohibited, but some states north of Australia continue to hunt mantas. They are hunted mainly for the gills of manta rays, which are used for medicinal purposes. The meat of these animals is also in great demand due to its nutritional value and taste.
And so the scientists’ research led them to the island state of Yap. Four islands surrounded by a barrier reef. There is a small strait between the reef and the islands. It is to these islands that manta rays migrate. Here is probably the largest population of these animals. Small manta rays feel safe in the mangroves while their giant parents stroll through the wide channels, feasting in these waters. By the way, about the feasts of these giants. It just so happens that the largest animals feed on the smallest. Giant whales feed on the smallest crustaceans and shrimp. The biggest fish eats the same way - whale shark. They eat the same way giant manta rays. They swim majestically in the water, their huge mouths wide open, filtering plankton.

Another type of these unusual fish– electric ramps. These stingrays are distributed throughout the world's oceans; they are also found in freshwater bodies. They have different shapes and sizes. The smallest is the Indian electric stingray. In general, he is the smallest among all the stingrays. But there are also giants that reach up to two meters in length. These stingrays swim reluctantly; they prefer to bury themselves in the sand, with only their eyes exposed, and wait for prey.
Electrical organs are located in their fins from head to tail. Actually, these are a kind of batteries. While hunting, the electric stingray can also hit large fish. After all, the current it produces can reach thirty amperes at a voltage of fifty to two hundred volts. Of course, the slope is not a source of direct current. It releases its charges in short bursts. Each such pulse lasts approximately 0.03 seconds. But the slope is not limited to one category. Usually it sends from twelve to one hundred pulses, and, naturally, each subsequent pulse is weaker than the previous one. But this, as a rule, is enough to paralyze the hunted object and destroy it nervous system. This is how, for example, the Torpedo stingray hunts.

The unusual properties of electric stingrays have been known since ancient times. The ancient Romans and Greeks believed that these creatures were endowed with some kind of supernatural power that, even at a distance, could influence a person. In those days, they did not know about the existence, much less about the properties of electricity. A warrior who touched an electric ramp with a metal spear received a fairly noticeable electric shock. Some healers used electric stingrays to treat migraines, provide partial pain relief during surgery, and even during childbirth.

Centuries later, when people learned what electricity is, they learned that there are animals that produce this very electricity, there was a widespread belief that it was very useful for certain diseases to receive a discharge of electric current from a stingray. And one could see people on the beaches slowly wading in knee-deep water in the hope of stepping on an electric stingray and receiving a healing discharge. True, sometimes they came across a stingray, and then the effect was completely opposite.

Talk about the inhabitants depths of the sea you can do a lot and for a long time. And still you can’t tell about everyone. The story of even just one species - stingrays - can be very large. And take a very long period of time. Here we tell a little about only three representatives of these interesting fish. But the world of the ocean is so diverse, so interesting that you can talk about it endlessly, and no one will find it boring.

The stingray fish is an ancient inhabitant of the aquatic depths. These mysterious creatures, together with sharks (their closest relatives), are the oldest inhabitants of the sea kingdom. Stingrays have a lot of interesting features, which, in fact, distinguish them from other representatives of the fauna living in the water.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that even in past times, the ancestors of sharks and rays differed little in body structure. But still, millions of years have made these animals different from each other.

Stingray: what species does it belong to?

Stingrays belong to the superorder elasmobranch cartilaginous animals, which comprise five orders and fifteen families. Modern stingray fish (this is clearly visible in the photo of the animal) is characterized by an incredibly flat body and a head fused with pectoral fins, which gives this creature an interesting and possibly fantastic appearance. The color of a given animal depends mainly on its habitat:

sea waters;
fresh water bodies.

Body structure of a stingray

The color of the upper body of stingrays can be light (sandy), multi-colored (with interesting ornament), and also dark. Thanks to this coloring, they can easily camouflage themselves, blending in with their surroundings and becoming virtually invisible to other animals. As for the lower part of the body of these creatures, as a rule, it is light, almost white. On the inside of the stingray there are organs, mouth and nostrils, and gills (five pairs). Tail sea creatures has a thread-like shape.

Species of stingrays differ greatly in both size and behavior. The size of this animal species ranges from a couple of centimeters to several meters. The wingspan can reach more than two meters (for example, stingrays from the eagle family). Electric stingrays have their own important feature in the form of weapons. They paralyze the victim with the help of electrical discharges, which are produced by all types of stingrays, but in a volume of 220 Volts they are only electric. This discharge is enough to not only paralyze some parts of the human body, but also lead to death.

Units

Most species of stingrays are bottom dwellers and feed on mollusks and crayfish. Pelagic species consume plankton and small fish. Let's figure out which groups scientists distinguish:

electrical;
sawfish;
slope-shaped;
tail-shaped.

Various types of stingrays can be found in a variety of places in our globe. They are found in Antarctica and the North Arctic Ocean. If you want to see a flying stingray with your own eyes, then go to the coast of Australia, there are more than enough of them. The most diverse types of stingrays, photos of which are presented in this article, fully reveal the entire history of their existence and modern life.

Unique breathing system

Flying carpets underwater world- These are stingray fish. The species of these animals are unique in nature because they have a different respiratory system than other fish that breathe with gills. Air passes into the stingray's body through special sprays located on the back. These devices are protected by a special valve. If it happens that a foreign object gets into them, the stingray moves away from it by releasing a stream of water from the sprinklers.

In their movement, stingrays resemble butterflies. They do not use their tail to move, as other fish do. They move with the help of fins.

Distinctive Features

All stingrays differ from each other, firstly, in size. In nature, fish are known to be only a couple of centimeters long, and stingrays whose size reaches seven meters. In addition, the behavior of each species is completely different. Some of them don’t mind jumping above the surface of the water, while others prefer to bury themselves in the sand and rest quietly.

Stingray fish is a predatory animal whose main food is the following marine inhabitants:

salmon;
sardines;
capelin;
octopuses;
crabs.

Stingrays are so diverse that even in hunting, everyone uses different weapons - what nature has awarded them. The electric one, having caught up with the prey, clasps it with its fins and hits it. electric shock, waiting for her death. And the prickly tail kills the victim with the help of its tail, studded with thorns, which it thrusts into the enemy. To eat mollusks and crustaceans, they resort to protruding plates that replace their teeth, and they also use them to grind their food. As for reproduction, some of the species are viviparous, while others lay eggs in special natural capsules.

Sea rays: types

Eaglets are from the family of large fish and lead a pelagic lifestyle. These big creatures swim freely in the open sea and in tropical regions. Eagle rays move with the help of wavy flapping of their wings - fins. Manta rays and mobulas filter plankton from the water.
Stingrays have sharp spines all over their body. The tail of these fish secretes a poisonous secretion, which is why a blow from it can be fatal. Poison that penetrates the wound can cause tachycardia, vomiting, severe pain and low blood pressure, and paralysis.
Guitarfish are similar in appearance, but they have gills, which classifies them as stingrays. They use their tail specifically for movement, which is reminiscent of sharks. They feed on small fish and shellfish. They throw themselves on the victims from above, press them to the ground and then eat them.
Stingrays are a family of electric stingrays, there are about 40 species. They are inactive, swim very slowly, and usually lie at the bottom, buried in the sand. If the prey swims close, one electrical discharge is enough to stun it and then eat it. They also use electrical discharges for defense.
Narcinoids - slow ones produce no more than 37 volts. Live in temperate latitudes, love closed sandy bays near coral reefs and river mouths.
Sawtooths include seven Poe general appearance They resemble sharks and live in tropical places. They feed on schooling fish. When they break into a school of sardines, they beat the fish with a saw, like a saber, and then pick up the prey from the bottom. It is not dangerous for humans.

Characteristics and uniqueness

How many species of stingrays are there on Earth? There are about 600 of them in total, but most of them live in salt water: seas and oceans.

Consider those who live in freshwater:

Sea devil is an animal large size, weighs up to a couple of tons. It was he who inspired the sailors to compose the most incredible and terrible legends. Imagine for a second how a creature weighing 2 tons flies out of the water, and a moment later goes back into the depths. Despite being the largest stingray, it has no electrical power and no spines or teeth. And the elongated tail is also not armed with anything. Despite his name, he is good-natured and does not bother people at all.
Electric ramp is also called marble. Dangerous and scary fish, whose cells produce electricity measuring 220 volts. This type of fish has been known for a very long time; its size is 1.5 meters long and 1 meter wide. Weighs from 25-30 kg, upper part The body is decorated with white and brown veins, thanks to which its shades can change. A female electric stingray can give birth to up to 14 babies at a time. If they are in any danger, she temporarily hides them in her mouth until the threat passes. These fish have an incredible feature that can make any fish motionless.
The spiny-tailed stingray gets its name from its tail. His fish plunges into the next victim, and after the perfect one pulls it back out. The stingray releases its weapon only when it hears danger. The diet includes mollusks and crustaceans, which he calmly grinds not with his teeth, but with platinum.

Unusual fish

When such an unusual and bright fish, it makes a lasting impression. There are a wide variety of stingray species on Earth. Their names often reflect their lifestyle. Stingrays are the real butterflies of the seas and oceans that delight the eye with their unusual beauty.

The stingray fish is the oldest inhabitant of the aquatic depths. Stingrays are mysterious creatures. They, together with their closest relatives, are the most ancient residents of the depths of the waters.

These creatures have so many interesting features, which is how they differ from other representatives of the fauna floating in the water. Scientists suggest that in prehistoric times the distant ancestors of stingrays differed little in structure, but the myriads of years that have passed have made these animals in no way similar, and the individuals of both species themselves have undergone significant changes.

Modern stingray fish(on photo this is clearly noticeable in the animal) is characterized by an extremely flat body and a head, intricately fused with the pectoral fins, which gives this creature a fantastic appearance.

The color of an animal largely depends on its habitat: sea waters and fresh water bodies. In these creatures, the color of the upper body area can be light, for example, sandy, multi-colored, with a fancy ornament, or dark. It is this coloring that helps the stingray successfully camouflage itself from observers from above, giving it the opportunity to merge with the surrounding space.

The lower parts of these flat creatures are usually lighter than the upper parts. On to the specified party The animal contains organs such as the mouth and nostrils, as well as gills in the number of five pairs. The tail of such water inhabitants has a whip-shaped shape.

Stingrays are a very large group of aquatic animals that have nothing to do with mammals. Scat– is it a fish or more precisely, a creature belonging to the category of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish.

In size, these inhabitants of the depths also differ significantly from each other. There are individuals only a few centimeters long. Others are meter, and in some cases more (up to 7 meters) in size.

The body of stingrays is so flat and long, resembling a pancake rolled out with a rolling pin, that the edges on the sides of the creatures look like wings, representing pectoral fins. In some cases, their scope reaches two meters or more.

An example of this is the stingray, which is a member of the bracken family, the body length of which reaches up to five, and the span of its peculiar wings is up to two and a half meters. Scat – cartilaginous fish . This means that its insides are not built from bones, like those of sharks and other animals, but from cartilage.

The coloring of the stingray gives it the ability to camouflage itself on the seabed

The habitats of stingrays are as vast as their diversity. Such animals can be found in water depths throughout the entire planet, even in the Arctic and Antarctic. But with the same success they inhabit tropical waters.

The depth of the reservoirs that serve as shelter for animals similarly varies greatly. Stingray fish lives and is able to successfully take root in shallow water, but also perfectly adapts to exist at a depth of 2700 m.

Character and lifestyle of stingray fish

Amazing Properties various species of stingrays boggles the mind. For example, on the coasts of Australia you can see “flying stingrays”. There are also electric fish stingrays.

In the photo there are “flying” stingrays

And such strength, given to them by nature, turns out to be an excellent weapon in the fight for survival. Such creatures are capable of paralyzing the victim using their own electricity, which is produced by all stingrays, but it is this type produces it in quantities up to 220 volts.

Such a discharge, which is especially strong in water, is quite sufficient to paralyze certain parts of the human body, and even lead to fatal outcome. The most interesting of species stingray fish – nautical devil. This is an animal of enormous size, weighing more than two tons.

Sailors created the most incredible legends about such creatures, the reasons for which were the unexpected appearance of such monstrous in size marine stingray fish from the abyss before the eyes of stunned travelers.

They jumped headlong out of the water and then disappeared into the depths, flashing their pointed tail, which often caused panic. However, the fears were groundless, and such creatures are completely harmless and even peaceful in nature.

In the photo there is a stingray "sea devil"

And cases of attacks on people for for a long time was not recorded. Quite the contrary, people often ate their nutritious and tasty meat, which is still a component and integral part many dishes, as well as a wide variety of exotic recipes.

But the process of hunting for a sea devil can turn into a dangerous activity, because the size of the animal allows it to overturn a boat with fishermen. The main part of the life of stingray fish passes at the bottom of reservoirs. These animals even rest by burying themselves in mud or sand. That's why respiratory system These animals are different from other fish.

They do not breathe through gills, but air enters their body through devices called squirters, which are located on its back. These organs are equipped with a special valve that helps protect the stingray’s body from foreign particles that enter from the bottom of the reservoir. All unnecessary debris, particles of sand and dirt are removed from the spray bottle released by the ramp using a stream of water.

Stingrays also move in a curious way, not using their tail at all when swimming. They flap their fins like butterflies, and their peculiar body shape helps the animals practically float in the water, which is why they are excellent swimmers.

Stingray nutrition

Stingray fish- a predatory creature. Its main food is fish: salmon, sardines, mullet or capelin. Larger species may be tempted by such prey, as can crabs. Small varieties are content with plankton, as well as small fish.

The diversity of stingrays and their amazing capabilities also manifest themselves in obtaining food. To hunt for your victims various types These fantastic creatures use the weapons that nature has provided them with.

An electric stingray, having overtaken its prey, hugs it with its fins and stuns it with an electric discharge, awaiting its death. And the weapon of the spiny-tailed stingray is its tail, studded with spines, which it thrusts into the enemy. When eating mollusks and crustaceans, it uses special protruding plates that replace teeth for this creature, grinding its prey with them.

Reproduction and lifespan of stingray fish

Some species of stingrays are viviparous, while others lay eggs in capsules. There are also varieties that perform their reproductive function in an intermediate manner, being ovoviviparous.

When carrying cubs, the mother’s body nourishes the embryos with peculiar outgrowths that penetrate into the oral cavity. A female sea devil is capable of giving birth to only one cub, but its size is very impressive, and its weight is about 10 kg. But a female electric ray, which gives birth to live cubs, is capable of increasing the genus of rays by sometimes 14 individuals.

Newborns are only 2 cm in size, but from the very first minute of their existence they are able to produce electricity. The lifespan of stingrays most often depends on size. Small species live on average from 7 to 10 years. The larger ones live longer, from about 10 to 18 years.

Some species: the electric stingray, as well as a number of others, for example, living off the Cayman Islands, where the most favorable conditions exist for such representatives of the fauna, live a life of about a quarter of a century.

The electric stingray is a marine cartilaginous fish, distinctive feature which is the presence of paired electrical organs. The order of electric stingrays consists of 4 families and more than 60 species.

Electric ramp - characteristics and description

The body of the electric stingray is disc-shaped with a slight extension in the form of a tail, there is a caudal fin and one or two upper fins. The body size of the stingray can reach 50 centimeters. However, there are also large representatives maximum length whose body reaches 1.2 meters and weighs approximately 100 kg. Sea fish stingray can have different colors: from the simplest, discreet color to bright and colorful designs and patterns. The eyes of the electric stingray are located on top, so anatomical structure causes rather poor vision in this species of fish. On the sides of the disc-shaped body are kidney-shaped organs that produce electricity, they are located between the head and pectoral fins. Electric organs stingrays Designed for self-defense and prey catching purposes. With their help, the stingray releases bundle-shaped electric ranks power from 6 to 220 volts. Thus, the fish strikes prey or an enemy and attacks him.

Where do stingrays live?

The habitats of stingrays are quite different. The electric stingray lives on reefs, clay bays, and sandy beach areas. Sometimes the stingray can live in the depths of the seas and oceans; the maximum diving depth of the stingray is approximately 1000 meters. This fish can only be found in the waters of temperate and tropical climate zones.

From birth, baby stingrays carry electric charge. An adult female electric stingray can give birth to 8-14 babies.

The body length of a newborn stingray is negligible and is approximately 2 centimeters.

Sea fish stingray In addition to his electrical ability, he has another undeniable talent. These fish are excellent swimmers, due to their body shape adapted for this. Rounded fins allow stingrays to seem to float in aquatic environment, without spending much effort on covering long distances. This helps stingrays in the process of searching for food for themselves and their newborn babies.

What does the electric stingray eat and how does it hunt?

The electric stingray feeds mainly on fish and carrion. Smaller representatives of stingrays prey on small sea plankton in the form of small fish, crabs, and octopuses. Larger species feed on fish. For example, capelin, mullet, sardines, salmon. When hunting, the electric stingray catches up with its prey and hugs it with its fins. A series of electrical discharges are released onto the victim, as a result of which he dies.

Electric ramp discharge

The discharge of an electric stingray is not as dangerous for humans as for small fish, but still has a detrimental effect on human health and vital functions. Small discharges will cause severe pain, stronger ones can paralyze the limbs of the body, and the most powerful discharges can be fatal. To preserve life and health, it is recommended that a person avoid swimming in places where the electric stingray lives, and also never interact with fish on land or in the aquatic environment.

However, it is known that the electric stingray in Ancient Greece actively used as a remedy for pain, as an analgesic during operations and childbirth. An electric ramp was applied to the place of pain, and with the help of electrical voltage the painful sensations went away. Such use marine electric stingrays led to the emergence of modern electrical medical devices.

When summer goes away, for some reason they remember exotic countries. Or just warm seas and their inhabitants. For example, stingray.

And recently I learned that expensive shoes are made from stingray leather, which is considered one of the most durable leathers in the world. Sometimes they say about it - “shoes with fish fur” due to the fact that the scales of the stingray have a scale-like appearance. Cost per pair men's shoes, which have an upper made of stingray leather and a sole made of regular leather, can exceed 750 pounds.

I myself saw live stingrays in Sevastopol. They swam there outdoor pool and, judging by the flocks of children hovering around the pool, they were harmless creatures... Although in front of me none of the visitors tried to check this and did not put their hands in the pool.

In fact, it is known that not all of them are safe... At the same time, the danger of most stingrays is greatly exaggerated.

This is most likely connected with the ancients sea legends, when people were just mastering the sea routes and many of the sea animals made shocking impressions on the sailors with their appearance or sizes.

Most of the legends about stingrays are associated with the sea devil or, scientifically, the manta ray. This seven-meter winged stingray, weighing about two tons, has the habit of unexpectedly flying out of the depths of the sea and immediately disappearing into the depths of the sea, dragging its black pointed tail with it. I think this spectacle will impress and quite frighten many of us who already know about it. What can we say about the first sailors?

Stingrays are one of the ancient fish living on our planet. They are the closest relatives of sharks, although they do not look like them.

Stingrays – Batoidei – are a suborder of fish from the order Shark-like. The skeleton of a stingray, just like the skeleton of a shark, consists not of bones, but of cartilage.

The size of different stingrays varies from a few centimeters to seven meters. The head and body of most stingrays, closer to the back and belly, are flattened and merge with the overgrown pectoral fins, making the stingray look like a disk.

The skin of stingrays, depending on the species, is bare or covered with spines.
Five pairs of gill openings are located on the ventral side of the body.
But the stingray does not breathe with gills.

He inhales oxygen through sprinklers located on his back and equipped with a valve that protects the body from sand getting into its insides. This is due to the fact that the stingray spends most of its life at the bottom, often burying itself in the sand. Although some stingrays, like sea devils, love to jump above the water.

The remains of plants and sand, which still get to the slope, are released back along with a stream of water, again through the sprinklers.

Stingrays swim not with the help of their tail, but with the help of their fins. This is why they are sometimes called water butterflies.

Stingrays are found all over the world, even in the Arctic Ocean and the coast of Antarctica. But still, most of them are inhabitants coastal strip tropical and subtropical seas. Experts say the easiest way to observe stingrays is off the coast of Australia, where they itch coral reefs and fly over the water.

There are also river stingrays, for example, stingrays, which live in the rivers of South America.

On the territory of Russia, common stingrays and stingrays live in the Barents, White, Black and Far Eastern seas.

Stingrays search for food using mainly their sense of smell and touch. Almost all stingrays feed on bottom animals, mainly mollusks, crustaceans, and less often fish. Scientists say that stingrays feed on dead fish and fishing waste that has fallen to the bottom.

The stingrays grind their food with protrusions or plates similar to spikes. If a stingray has swallowed a large piece of food or fish, then it, as a rule, rises from the bottom and swims for some time in a position close to vertical, since the pharynx and esophagus of a stingray lying on the bottom are flattened, and food cannot enter the stomach.

Due to the sedentary lifestyle, the stingray requires little energy, so the daily diet even for juvenile small stingrays does not exceed 4% of body weight, while for adult stingrays different types it is 0.7-1.5%.

The most dangerous of the stingrays is not considered to be the sea devil at all, but the electric stingray, cells whose bodies are capable of generating electricity up to 220 volts. There are many cases when an electric stingray shocked divers.

All stingrays generate electricity, but not as strong as the electric stingray and use it for defense purposes and sometimes for hunting.

There is also a spiny-tailed stingray, which kills the victim by piercing its sharp tail into it, and pulling it back, tearing the wound with its spines.
But more often than not, stingrays only defend themselves.

Stingrays are viviparous or ovoviviparous, when the young hatch from the egg at the moment it is laid.

Common stingrays lay eggs, the development of which lasts from 4.5 to 15 months. Fertilized female stingrays lay five to six pairs of egg capsules or more before the next copulation. Stingrays reproduce almost throughout the year, and one female favorable conditions can lay up to 120-150 eggs per year.

Despite the long development of embryos, they have a very high survival rate. Juveniles, due to their large size and the presence of many sharp spines, are attacked by predators in the rarest cases. In case of danger, stingrays bristle and take the shape of a bell.

However, stingrays are threatened by human activity...
Especially in areas of intensive fishing, bottom trawls, which plow up the bottom, often crush embryos, juveniles, and adult fish.

Many stingrays are valuable commercial species, their meat is eaten, technical fat is rendered from the liver.

In view of the fact that the number of stingrays is declining, there may soon be a need to breed and raise stingrays on special farms... So it is quite possible that in the near future, along with farms for breeding ostriches and crocodiles, farms specializing in breeding stingrays may appear . Why not…

And we will go on excursions and admire sea butterflies flying above the surface of the water...