Spotted eagle ray: Difference between revisions
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The spotted eagle ray was described at first as Raja Narinari in 1790. It was later changed to Stoasodon Narinari. It's current name is the Ateobatus Narinari. The name is derived from the Greek words aetos, which means eagle, and batis which means ray. The spotted eagle ray is a part of the family Myliobatidae. Most animals in the Myliobatidae swim in open ocean rather than on the sea floor. This family consists of a wide variety of rays. <ref>{{cite website |title=Ichtyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History |author last= Bester |author first=Cathleen |http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/seray/seray.html |accessdate=2011-10-18 |quote= }}</ref> |
The spotted eagle ray was described at first as Raja Narinari in 1790. It was later changed to Stoasodon Narinari. It's current name is the Ateobatus Narinari. The name is derived from the Greek words aetos, which means eagle, and batis which means ray. The spotted eagle ray is a part of the family Myliobatidae. Most animals in the Myliobatidae swim in open ocean rather than on the sea floor. This family consists of a wide variety of rays. <ref>{{cite website |title=Ichtyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History |author last= Bester |author first=Cathleen |http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/seray/seray.html |accessdate=2011-10-18 |quote= }}</ref> |
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==Description and |
==Description and behavior== |
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===Reproduction=== |
===Reproduction=== |
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===Behavior=== |
===Behavior=== |
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==Human Interaction== |
==Human Interaction== |
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Revision as of 23:30, 20 October 2011
| Spotted eagle ray | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | A. narinari
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| Binomial name | |
| Aetobatus narinari (Euphrasen, 1790)
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Aetobatis latirostris | |
The spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, Euphrasen (1790), or bonnet ray, is a cartilaginous fish found in shallow coastal water by coral reefs and bays, in depths down to 80 meters (260 feet).[2] They are members of the eagle ray family, and can be found globally in tropical regions, including the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Atlantic Africa, the Indian Ocean, Oceania, and the Pacific west coast of the Americas. The spotted eagle ray can be identified by its numerous white spots or rings on its blue dorsal surface, white ventral surface, long, whip-like tail, and distinctive head that somewhat resembles a bill. It preys mainly upon bivalves, shrimps, crabs, whelks, and other benthic infauna. The spotted eagle ray's specialized chevron-shaped tooth structure helps it crush the hard shells of mollusks. The largest specimens can grow up to a maximum wingspan of 3 m (10 ft) and a mass of 230 kg (500 pounds).[2][3] It has a notably long tail in relation to other rays; the total length of a mature ray can reach 5 m. It can have up from 2–6 venomous spines on the tail, however, it does not pose a significant threat as it generally avoids human contact. A. narinari develops ovoviviparously—the eggs hatch internally and feed off a yolk sac prior to birth.
Taxonomy
The spotted eagle ray was described at first as Raja Narinari in 1790. It was later changed to Stoasodon Narinari. It's current name is the Ateobatus Narinari. The name is derived from the Greek words aetos, which means eagle, and batis which means ray. The spotted eagle ray is a part of the family Myliobatidae. Most animals in the Myliobatidae swim in open ocean rather than on the sea floor. This family consists of a wide variety of rays. [4]
Description and behavior
Reproduction
In spotted eagle rays, one male, or sometimes more than one, will pursue a female. When the male approaches the female, he uses his upper tooth plate to grab on to her dorsum. The male will then roll the female over by grabbing her pectoral fin. After she is on her ventral side, the male will put a clasper into the female. They will be connected venter to venter. The mating process can last anywhere from thirty to ninety seconds. [5]
Feeding and diet
The spotted eagle rays feed on mollusks and crustaceans, particularly malacostracans. [6] The rays eat bivalves, which are animals with two shells, and gastropods like snails and slugs. Studies have shown that there are not any differences in the feeding habits of males and females or in rays from different reigions. [7]
Behavior
Human Interaction
Predators
As with other rays, spotted eagle rays are vulnerable to large sharks. A great hammerhead shark has been seen attacking a spotted eagle ray in open water by taking a large bite out of one of its pectoral fins. This incapacitated the ray and the shark used its head to pin the ray to the bottom and pivoted to take the ray in its jaws head-first.[8]
Habitat and distribution
The spotted eagle rays can be found in warm, temperate, waters worldwide. In the waters of the West-Atlantic Ocean, it can be found of the coast of North Carolina, Florida, in the Gulf Stream, in the Caribbean, and down past the southern part of Brazil. In the West-Pacific Ocean, it can be found from the Red Sea in South Africa to northern Japan and Australia. The ray can also be found in the Eastern-Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California down through Puerto Pizzaro (this includes the Galapagos Islands). The spotted eagle ray is most commonly seen in bays and reef areas. It spends much of its time swimming freely in open waters. These rays generally swim in schools, staying close to the surface of the water. They can travel long distances of open ocean each day.[9]
Conservation
References
- ^ Template:IUCN2008
- ^ a b Luna, Susan M. "Aetobatus Narinari – Species Summary". Fish Base. 30 April 2007. WorldFish Center. 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Spotted Eagle Ray". Elasmodiver. 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Ichtyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History".
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/seray/seray.html" ignored (help) - ^ "Ichtyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History".
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/seray/seray.html" ignored (help) - ^ "Eagle Ray
Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus narinari".
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "http://www.cayman.org/fauna/eagle.htm" ignored (help); line feed character in|title=at position 10 (help) - ^ "Life History, Population Genetics and Sensory Biology of the White Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus narinari (Euphrasen, 1790) with Emphasis on the Relative Importance of Olfaction".
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:151742" ignored (help) - ^ Chapman, D.D. and Gruber, S.H. (May 2002). "A further observation of the prey-handling behavior of the great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran: predation upon the spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari". Bulletin of Marine Science 70 (3): 947–952.
- ^ "Ichtyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History".
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/seray/seray.html" ignored (help)
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Aetobatus narinari" in FishBase. February 2009 version.