Spotted eagle ray
Spotted eagle rays ( Aetobatus narinari )
The spotted eagle ray ( Aetobatus narinari ) is a ray species that is found in all tropical and subtropical seas almost all. In the Atlantic, the distribution area ranges in western North Carolina ( summer only) and Florida via Bermuda, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of southern Brazil. In the eastern Atlantic it extends from Mauritania to Angola. He also settled the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific from the east coast of Africa, north to Japan, south to Australia and east to the Gulf of California and to the Galapagos Islands. The populations in the far flung areas are not very genetically similar, and possibly the type must be split in several ways.
Features
The spotted eagle rays reaches with his long, whip-like tail, a maximum length of 3.30 meters, but usually remains at a length of 1.80 meters. Head, trunk and pectoral fins give a diamond- like body profile. The muzzle protrudes and has, through the concave top, a slightly duckbill- like appearance. Upper and lower jaws are set with a row of flat teeth. The spotted eagle rays are patterned on the top of blackish or bluish, and with many small, whitish dots that appear bright blue under water, due to the absorption of the red light component. The belly is white. On the back there are no spines. The tail bears at its first third, just behind the small dorsal fin, one to five occupied with long barbs sting. A tail fin is missing. While the primitive guitar fish, as well as the sawfish and the dither Roche -like as most sharks are propagated through root snaking of the body and the tail fin and the rights skates are propelled by undulating movements of their large pectoral fins, beat spotted eagle rays like any other eagle rays similar to birds with their wings with the enlarged pectoral fins.
Way of life
The spotted eagle rays lives mainly shallow coastal waters such as bays and coral reefs, either close to the water surface or close to the ground, at depths ranging from one to 60 meters. However, it can also cross the open ocean. The animals sometimes jump out of the water. Outside the breeding season they often form large schools of up to 200 individuals. The spotted eagle ray feeds mainly on mussels. In addition, shrimp, crabs, squid and worms are eaten. Larger specimens feed mainly on fish. Like all Eagle Rays he is ovoviviparous. Only one to four young stingrays are born per litter after a gestation period of twelve months, which already have a span of half a meter at birth.