Rays have flattened, kite-shaped bodies.
Swimming like kites floating through the sky, the ray appears both ethereal and benevolent as it makes way through the water. Closely related to sharks, these mysterious fish date back 150 million years in the fossil record. Characterized by bearing live babies, rays also have dorso-ventrally flattened bodies with whip thin tails for protective purposes. Rays thrive in oceans through the world, with some species even inhabiting freshwater ways.
Electric Rays
Belonging to the families Narcinidae and Torpedinidae, the strong electric current generated by kidney shaped organs lend the electric ray its name. This electric current works to stun prey and provide a defense for the ray from predators. In addition, the smallest ray belongs to the electric ray family in the form of the short-nosed electric ray, which only reaches 4 inches in length and 1 pound in weight, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Manta Rays
The manta ray (Manta birostris) takes the claim for the largest ray, growing as big as 30 feet. While their size may seem frightening, manta rays cause no harm to humans; they feed on small fish and plankton. Bearing a grayish blue to green coloring, manta rays also have a whip-like tail that has no barb. These graceful rays swim in tropical waters and due to their slow reproductive rate, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has listed them as a near-threatened species, according to the Government of Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation.
Sawfish
Distinguishable from the other rays thanks to a protruding snout lined with sharp, awl-like teeth, the sawfish belongs to the family Pristidae. Mainly bottom feeders, their sensitive snouts detect any motion that disturbs their muddy environment as they feed on invertebrates like shrimp and crabs. Eight species of the sawfish exist, all of which belong on the endangered species list. Many sawfish fatalities come as a result of accidental capture in fishing nets, as well as from the popularity of its saw-like snout for souvenir and medical purposes.
Stingrays
Around 200 species of stingrays exist in the order Myliobatiformes, according to Mote Marine Laboratory. Stingrays inhabit both saltwater and freshwater habitats, some existing permanently in freshwater springs and rivers in Florida. The poisonous barb that gives the stingray its name sits either at the base or end of the tail. This barb contains a protein-based venom that alters heart rate and causes pain to mammals that get stung.
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