Manta Rays
Rays are a flattened type of fish with wide fleshey pectoral fins that look like wings. Their skin is rough and scaly. The ray has a short, whip-like tail, and gills on the outside of the body. The ray’s mouth is broad and rectangular and contains small teeth in the lower jaw. Two cephalic lobes extend from the front of the ray’s head. These are used to crush prey for food since their teeth are small and useless for eating. Rays have no bones. Their skeleton is made of cartilage. Cartilage is a tough substance that is not as hard as bone. Some parts of their skeleton, like their vertebrae, are calcified. Even the ray’s skull is flattened. Manta Rays do not have stingers on their tails like the stingrays. Their color varies from black to gray-blue on its back. It has a white underside with gray splotches. Manta rays can measure up to 29 feet long and 22 feet wide. They can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Manta rays are nicknamed “devil rays” because their extended fins look like devils horns. The word Manta in Spanish means cloak or blanket. The rays are closely related to the shark. Manta rays are the largest of all the rays. One common myth is that a manta ray can capsize a boat by leaping out of the water and c . . .
Actually the rays even appear to enjoy the company of the divers and will play around the divers instead of swimming away from them. Scientist believe rays are probably smarter than sharks. The rays have only small bottom teeth so they must use their cephalic lobes to crush their prey. Several males may court a single female. They flap sand on top of themselves with their wings. Harmless to humans VI. The liter size can be one or two pups per liter.
Common topics in this essay:
Gulf Mexico, Manta Rays, Rays Rays, Manta Spanish, manta rays, Myths Able, XVI Dive, Reproduction Gestation, VII Sexual, XV Helping, VI Fossils, manta ray, pectoral fins, rays live, manta rays live, sexual maturity, skeleton cartilage, cephalic lobes, rays dont, crush prey, rays world, species rays world, brain weight body, november 3 2002, rays world famous, |
Acceptance Essays
