All about stingrays for kids. Interesting data and facts about stingrays

The electric stingray is a marine cartilaginous fish, hallmark which is the presence of paired electric organs. The detachment of electric rays 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 elongation 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 major representatives, whose maximum body length reaches 1.2 meters, and the weight is approximately 100 kg. Sea fish stingray may have different color: from the simplest discreet color to bright and colorful patterns and patterns. The eyes of the electric stingray are located on top, such anatomical structure causes rather poor vision in this species of fish. On the sides of the disc-shaped body are kidney-shaped organs that generate electricity, they are located between the head and pectoral fins. Electric Organs sea ​​stingrays designed for self-defense and catching prey. With the help of them, the stingray releases beam-like electrical ranks power from 6 to 220 volts. Thus, the fish strikes the prey or the enemy and attacks him.

Where do stingrays live?

The habitats of stingrays are quite different. Electric stingray lives on reefs, clay bays, in areas of sandy beaches. Sometimes a stingray can also live in the depths of the seas and oceans, the maximum depth of immersion of a stingray is approximately 1000 meters. You can find this fish only in the waters of the temperate and tropical climatic zones.

Baby stingrays carry an electrical charge from birth. 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, which is due to the shape of the body adapted for this. Rounded fins allow stingrays to soar in aquatic environment, while not spending much effort to overcome long distances. This helps the stingrays in the process of finding 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 produce small marine plankton in the form of small fish, crabs, octopuses. Larger species feed on fish. For example, mullet, salmon. When hunting, the electric stingray catches up with its prey and hugs it with its fins. A series of electrical discharges are launched on the victim, as a result of which she dies.

The stingray report summarized in this article will tell you a lot. useful information about this animal.

Message about stingrays

Skat is a marine cartilaginous fish, which differs from others in the presence of electric paired organs. The stingray order includes 4 families and 60 species of fish.

Description and characteristics of the electric slope

The body of the fish is disc-shaped, which is slightly elongated at the end in the form of a tail. It has a tail fin as well as one or two upper fins. The body of the stingray in size can reach up to 50 cm. But in nature there are also larger representatives, the body length of which can reach 1.2 m, and the weight is 100 kg.

Skat is sea ​​fish and it has a different color: from a discreet simple color to a bright color with variegated patterns and patterns on the body. It is noteworthy that their eyes are located on top, so this species of fish has relatively poor eyesight. The disc-shaped body is flanked by kidney-shaped organs that are capable of generating electricity. They are located between the pectoral fins and the head. These organs are designed for catching prey and self-defense. With their help, electric rays release electric beam-like discharges with a power of up to 220 volts and hit their prey.

Where do stingrays live?

Stingrays live on reefs, in areas of sandy beaches, clay bays. Sometimes they can settle in the depths of the oceans and seas. Max Depth habitat - 1000 m. The fish prefers to live in the waters of tropical and temperate climatic zones.

From birth, baby stingrays can already produce an electrical charge. One female can bring into the world 8 - 14 babies.

In addition to electrical abilities, these fish have another talent: they are excellent swimmers. Thanks to the rounded fins, they seem to soar in the water and overcome great distances with special effort.

What do stingrays eat?

The electric stingray feeds mainly on carrion and fish. Small-sized species of stingrays feed on small marine plankton: fish, octopuses, crabs. Large species eat capelin, salmon, sardine, mullet. In pursuit of prey, the stingray spreads its fins. Having caught up with her, he hugs the victim with his fins and sets off an electric discharge.

Stingrays: interesting facts

• AT Ancient Greece electric ray was used as a pain reliever during operations. They became the prototype for the emergence of modern medical electrical devices.
• The most dangerous creature in the oceans is the stingray. It has a 15 cm spike in the tail. The fish makes a lacerated wound incompatible with life.
• The Manta ray can jump out of the water up to 3 meters high.
• The female Sea Devil bears only one baby during the year. At birth, he weighs 10 kg.
• The only species of stingrays that lives in Ukraine is the Sea Cat. He is poisonous. But its meat is still considered a delicacy. Stingray liver is rich in vitamin D.
• In ancient times, the spikes of the tail-shaped species of rays were used by the tribes of the Pacific Basin as a tip for spears and arrows. They were saturated with poison and were deadly weapons.
• The sawn ray is considered the oldest fossil of the Mesozoic era. Catching them is strictly prohibited. Even in ancient times, he was revered by Asian peoples and the Aztecs.

We hope that the presentation about stingrays helped you prepare for the lesson. And you can leave your story about stingrays through the comment form below.

Man knows so little about the ocean! Even now, in our time, it remains practically unexplored. It doesn't even take a month for someone to discover something new. deep sea creature, which was not previously known, but how many more secrets are hidden in the depths of the ocean is unknown. One of the most interesting views living on the ocean floor is the stingray.

Danger

One of the most formidable creatures in the ocean is the stingray. And all because of his tail! On it is a spike fifteen centimeters long. The wounds of the offender are torn, thanks to the characteristic sharp outgrowths on the spike. In addition to all this, the weapon is poisonous and deadly even for humans.

Theoretically, the strength of the current discharge that an electric stingray beats is enough to kill even a person, but, fortunately, there have never been such cases, since in order for a person to die from a stingray current, he needs to fully hug him.

The tribes of the countries of the Pacific basin made arrowheads and spears from the spikes of the stingray. In addition to the terrible lacerations, the enemy receives poison from which he can die.

The sawfly stingray has a sharp outgrowth on its face in the form of a saw. Its extraction is strictly prohibited. This inhabitant of the ocean floor lived in mesozoic era, and the Aztecs believed that the “saw” of this stingray was a cure for many diseases (of course, this is not so).

The most common type of stingray is the motoro. It has a small size, but has gained immense popularity among scuba divers. Like many rays, motoro is poisonous.

While stingray attacks are rare, Australian TV presenter Steve Irwin died on the set of his own program. The thorn of the stingray hit him right in the heart. There is a version that the TV presenter could have been saved if he had not tried to pull out the spike on his own, and the surgeons in the hospital would have removed it. However, the stingray is a living animal, and it is difficult to predict what will happen after its attack, so you should not allow attacks with a dangerous spike.

Appearance

Interesting facts about stingrays - appearance. The structure of the respiratory organs of rays is interesting. Exhalation occurs through the gills from the bottom of the body, but inhalation occurs through special openings behind the eyes so that silt and sand do not enter the lungs.

The stingrays will not be able to see their food in any way, since the eyes are located on top of the flat body, and the mouth is on the bottom.

Many stingrays are able to change their coloration to blend in with the ocean floor. A little buried in the silt, they become almost invisible.

Previously, it was believed that rays originated from sharks, but scientists, after conducting research, refuted this hypothesis.

The stingray does not have a single bone in its structure. It is made entirely of cartilage. He doesn't need the bones, as he basically just lies on seabed.

Behavioral Features

The stingray, in addition to sight and smell, also uses touch. Thanks to special electroreceptors, he is able to notice even the slightest changes in electric fields in water. This change is due to the contraction of the muscles of the fish.

Surprisingly, a large manta ray (weighs two tons) is able to jump out of the water up to three meters. Scientists have proven that this is a special signal sent to his flock.

Unlike stingrays, the manta ray is completely harmless. It does not have any poisonous spines. But this species is much larger - the weight of an adult can reach two tons.

The heart of a marble stingray beats only 15 times per minute. This animal is able to burrow into the silt and wait there for its prey for up to several days. Huge pressure and lack of oxygen do not prevent him from successfully hunting.

Stingrays are born alive or with the help of so-called egg capsules with a dense egg shell.

Stingrays can live in almost all seas and oceans and even in fresh water reservoirs.

Skat is certainly one of the most amazing and interesting inhabitants ocean floor. It can be beautiful, it can be dangerous, it can be big or small. The meat of this creature is considered a delicacy in many countries, and the skin is used in wallets and belts, so the stingray is an object of hunting. There are also stingrays in Russia. Their only representative is the slope under interesting name — catfish. Unfortunately, its number is constantly declining due to industrial fishing. This is an important participant in the ocean ecosystem, so you need to protect both themselves and their habitat.

Among all other inhabitants of the seas and oceans, stingrays stand out especially, mainly due to their unusualness. Looking at how they flutter in the water column, one immediately remembers the birds, which are also at ease in the air. However, most stingrays prefer to stay near the bottom, looking for food for themselves, and in order to admire them, divers have to hunt them down for a long time. But not all stingrays are harmless! Some of them can be very dangerous, although they do not attack people first - defending themselves, they can even kill a person carelessly approaching them.

Stingray Facts

• From the point of view of zoologists, rays belong to cartilaginous fish.
• They are found in all seas and oceans without exception.
• Different types of stingrays live perfectly in cold Arctic waters with a temperature of 1.5-2 degrees Celsius, and in hot tropics, where the water warms up to +30.
• Most stingrays usually stay in shallow water, but they have been found at depths up to 2700 meters.
• It is the rays that are the closest relatives of sharks ().
• Some rays live in tropical rivers, although most of them live in salt water.
• The body length of the stingray can vary from a few centimeters to 3-6 meters.
• The maximum mass of the stingray, officially registered, reached 2.5 tons.
• The largest stingray is the manta, or sea devil. It is named so because of the presence of head fins that are rolled into a tube and stick out forward like horns.
• The well-known sawfish also belongs to the stingrays.
• Most stingrays live on the bottom, and only a few of them swim freely in the water column. The latter include the aforementioned manta rays, as well as stingrays.
• Electric rays attack opponents with a current discharge from 30 to 220-230 volts and a power of over 30 amperes. Such an electric shock can easily paralyze a person.
• Most stingrays feed on benthic animals, in particular, worms, molluscs and various crustaceans ()
• Some stingrays have electric organs on the sides of their bodies, and stingrays have spikes on their tails equipped with a poisonous gland.
• Stingrays pose a great danger to humans. Their poison can easily kill even a physically strong and healthy man.
• Manta ray fry are exact smaller copies of their parents.
• Among stingrays there are oviparous, viviparous and ovoviviparous.
• The skin of stingrays can be either bare or covered with coarse spikes.
• In some countries, stingray egg capsules are eaten, which are called "mermaid purses."
• Stingrays are found even in the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, the smallest and warmest on Earth ().
• In Korea, stingrays are eaten in the form of hwe (raw), and the dish with them is called "hon'ohwe chhomuchim."
• Handles are expensive Japanese swords once covered with stingray skin.
• Some species of stingrays do not collect prey on the seabed, but actively hunt fish.

"Blanket" or "cloak", this is how the Spanish word "scat" is translated. The sea devil is also called this majestic and absolutely safe animal.

Taxonomy of manta rays

Manta rays belong to the order Dasyatiformes stingrays (according to other sources - to the order of bracken - Myliobatidae). In the genus Manta, they are the only species in the manta family. Systemators have not yet come to a single opinion about the presence of some orders of stingrays. Some sources point to the existence of an order of eagle rays, including the family of stingrays, others distinguish them into a separate family. However, this is already the field of research of scientists.

Appearance of the mantle ray of the sea devil

The elegance and plasticity of the movement of the stingray is admirable, as if it were floating in a magical flying carpet. sea ​​depths. Manta rays (Manta birostris) are the best known to science. The size and amazing appearance have led to the creation of legends and stories about this extraordinary fish.

Manta already at birth reaches more than one and a half meters in the span of fins, and growing up, it can reach 8 meters and weigh more than 2 tons. It should be noted that not the manta most large view stingrays, the primacy is occupied by sawfly stingrays, the size of which reaches 7.6 m from the tips of the snout and tail. For the scope and massiveness of the wings-fins of the manta, biologists consider it the largest stingray, a real marine giant.

The appearance of stingrays is unique, their body looks like a diamond-shaped carpet: black on top and bright white on the ventral side. Wide wings-fins, short whip-shaped tail and tips pectoral fins on the head in the form of horns, with which the slope increases the flow of water into the oral cavity.

Is manto the devil dangerous for a person?

The intimidating appearance due to the size and “horns” of the manta is deceptive, the stingrays are safe for humans. However, even a slight flap of the fins-wings can seriously injure a person. In former times, there were tales about the bloodthirstiness of manta rays. It was believed that he could grab a person, strangle and eat. But manta rays do not belong to the species of aggressive marine animals and never attack people.

Features of the sea devil manta

In the way for accumulations of plankton, stingrays can travel thousands of kilometers.

The stingrays live in warm waters all oceans except the Arctic. They are most often found in Indian Ocean where they form whole flocks. Usually they hover in the water column, absorbing the plankton crop, often resting near the surface, exposing the tips of their pectoral fins to the surface.

Interestingly, manta rays are the most "brainy" fish in the oceans. Specific gravity manta brain (relative to body weight) is the largest of known to science fish. It is possible that manta rays are the smartest fish on Earth.

Large manta rays have practically no predators, only parasites cause serious trouble, causing itching and pain, eating flesh. Small individuals often become victims of sharks and other marine predators. Due to the low speed of the manta, no more than 20 km / h,