The ray is one of a family of sea creatures that don't have a single bone in their bodies.
Ray Table of Contents
All About Rays
Rays are a family of species whose members are cartilage fish. They are somewhat closely related to sharks, who also don't have bony skeletons.Manta rays, or giant rays can grow so big as to have 25 foot wing diameters. The flaps near the mouth are called horns, and the manta ray can move them to control and direct the water that flows into its mouth.
Rays have a barbed tail, a stinger, which they use for defense. Although normally docile creatures, their stings are both toxic and painful.
What do Rays eat?
Depending on the species, rays eat a range, from plankton to shellfish and other small fish.
Great Ray Stuff For Kids
books and toys related to rays and sharks
Ray Facts
- Rays are a type of fish.
- They don't have bones. Like sharks, rays have tough cartilage forming their bodies.
- Most species live in and around coral reefs
- They are nicknamed "birds of the deep."
See Some Rays Via Video
Stingray Tragedy!
Australian naturalist Steve Irwin was killed when a ray he was swimming near was startled and the barbed stinger penetrated his chest and heart. Such stings are extremely rare with most chance encounters producing a painful but survivable sting on an arm or leg.
Learn About Rays
- Sea and Sky: Sharks & Rays
- Sharks are part of a family of fishes known as cartilage fishes. They have no bones in their bodies, only cartilage, like the soft flexible tissue in the end of your nose. Rays are also a member of this group. In fact, rays are actually nothing more than flattened out sharks. They are the "birds" of the sea.
- The "Birds of the Deep Sea" - Rays
- If you've ever ventured to Shark Ray Alley, an open-water area located about five miles south of San Pedro, then you've surely seen the amazing disc-shaped creatures that gracefully swim about.
- Learning About Rays - Unit Study on Sea Creatures, Lesson 12
- Learning About Rays - Unit Study on Sea Creatures, Lesson 12. Moray Eels make their homes in narrow coral caves. Eels have muscular, snake-like bodies. They belong to the Class Osteichthyes. There are about 500 species of eels.
- Rays- Enchanted Learning Software
- Rays are a type of fish that is very flat and has no bones, only cartilage. Rays are closely related to sharks.
- Manta ray - Wikipedia
- The manta ray, or giant manta (Manta birostris), is the largest of the rays, with the largest known specimen having been nearly 7.6 meters (25 ft) across its pectoral fins (or "wings") and weighed in at 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). It ranges throughout the tropical seas of the world, typically around coral reefs.
- Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department: Manta Ray
- Individual mantas possess distinct dorsal and ventral coloration that is unique to each animal. Generally, it is dark brown, grayish blue, or black on top with pale edges and white underneath. Some individual mantas have pale patches and color patterns on top as well as dark blotches underneath. These color variations have been used to identify individuals.
- Devil ray
- The so-called cephalic fins of the devil ray, pointing forward, give it so distinctive an appearance that it could not be confused with any other fish, except for some other member of its own family.
- Manta Ray Photos, Manta Birostris, Phillip Colla Natural History Photography
- Manta rays are often accompanied by remoras. Right: Clarion angelfish (Holocanthus clarionensis) swim out from the reef to clean manta rays (and their remoras) of parasites and bits of dead skin.
