

This membrane can be damaged by human contact, so, if you’re near a stingray, don’t touch them.Īnother extraordinary characteristic of all cartilaginous fish is that they have an elaborate system of blisters in their skin that are sensitive to low-frequency electrical stimuli. It reduces friction to facilitate the animal’s movement when swimming.It acts as a barrier against infections.The body of the stingray has a protective mucous membrane. The most commonly spotted are about 15 feet wide, and can live up to 25 years. In the giant oceanic manta ray, the disk can measure up to 10 feet wide and weigh nearly 3000 pounds. The large flattened body has a center called “disk.” In the case of the reef manta ray, the disk’s reported dimensions of it are 10 to 12 feet wide. Once there, “cleaning fish” or opportunistic paddlefish provide them with cleaning services. Interestingly, the manta rays visit “maintenance stations” along the reefs. These fish live in tropical latitudes around the world. Recently, they showed that manta rays possess the most developed cognitive abilities among fish. In fact, scientists say it has the largest brain of all fish. This marine animal is highly intelligent.However, unlike other species of the same order, the two species of rays lack a poisonous sting in the tail. These extend and guide the flow of water to the mouth and optimize the feeding process they perform by filtering water together with plankton. There are two structures called cephalic lobes above the mouth.Instead, males use them to hold the female during mating. Their long mouth is in the front and has several rows of small teeth that they don’t use for chewing. The head of both species is wide and their eyes are on each side of their body.


They flap them to swim just like birds do when they fly. Manta rays and devilfish both have pectoral fins in the form of wings.Science recognizes two species of rays: the reef manta ray ( Manta alfredi) and the giant oceanic manta ray ( Manta birostris).Cartilaginous fish or elasmobranch have been around for at least 400 million years.This means that the manta ray is an animal that never stops moving, from the moment they’re born until the day they die. Because of this, cartilaginous fish must remain in a continuous motion to force water to penetrate the gills.Because of this, they don’t have a mechanism for controlling the entry and exit of water through their gills. This group of fish has no operculum –this is the bone fin that covers and protects the gills in bonefish.They breathe through five to seven pairs of gills open to the outside. Cartilaginous fish don’t have swim bladders or lungs.In fact, this group encompasses different species of sharks and rays. The manta ray belongs to the class of Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish characterized by having a skeleton composed entirely of cartilage.
