STINGRAYS

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=115 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03500730ezvthe.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#CCFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>The wonders of the weeverfish ( T.vipera )</B></FONT><B>|   </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wonders of the Weeverfish (Trachinus vip"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dangerous spines"><U>Dangerous spines</U></A>   |   <B>STINGRAYS</B>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LIONFISH"><U>LIONFISH</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="STARGAZER"><U>STARGAZER</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="STONE FISH"><U>STONE FISH</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Scorpion fish"><U>Scorpion fish</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FISH MORPHOLOGY"><U>FISH MORPHOLOGY</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=365 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>STINGRAYS</B></div> <div>  <B>FAMILY:</B> <I>DASYATIDAE.</I></div> <div> <I><B> </B></I></div> <div> The stingrays are a member of the <B>Chondrichthyes </B><I>( Cartilaginous fishes ).<IMG SRC="1c7c7820.jpg" border=0 width="199" height="130" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  </I>Members of this family have a cartilaginous skeleton, This family also includes <B>Sharks</B>, <B>Skates</B>, <B>Rays </B>and <B>Chimaeras</B> (Rabbit fishes)</div> <bR> <div> The spine of the Stingrays is situated at the base of the tail and nearly always consists of two spines. The structure is like that of the dorsal spine of the Weeverfish in that the venom gland is at the base of the tail with a longitudinal groove running along the length of the spine.</div> <bR> <div> The sting ray  may drive its venomous barb deep into the limb, the wound is often of a size that requires stitching. The wound also causes severe pain which is out of proportion to the size of the wound. The pain may have a paralysing effect, The treatment of the wound is similar to the weever fish in that the area is cleaned and the bathed in hot water to denature the toxic properties of the venom. When the pain slackens any of the barb still left in the wound should be removed. The wound is then treated like any other.</div> <bR> <div> The Reproduction strategy of this group is always internal giving rise to live young or the laying of egg cases or 'Mermaids purses' , these empty cases are commonly found washed up on the beach along the tidal line.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Common Stingray</B></div> <div> <I><B>Dasyatis pasinaca.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="19223da0.jpg" border=0 width="291" height="218" ALT="Dasyatis pasinaca photograph" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>SHAPE: </B>Body disk shaped with rounded angles to the wings and straight front edges. <IMG SRC="1bfdb6b0.gif" border=0 width="219" height="107" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Body width only slightly greater than body length, pointed snout with a long tail (about 1.5x body length) with one (sometimes more) large toothed spine about a third of the way down the tail.</div> <bR> <div> <B>COLOUR:</B> Upper surface grey, Brown, reddish or olive green. Underside  whitish with dark edges.</div> <bR> <div> <B>DISTRIBUTION: </B>Mediterranean, Black sea, Eastern Atlantic south to Madeira north to Norway, English channel and occasionally west Baltic.</div> <bR> <div> <B>SIZE: </B><250Cm.</div> <bR> <div> Sting rays prefer calm shallow water (above 60m) where they can be seen on, or half buried in sand or mud. These fish my also be found in estuaries as they can tolerate low salinity's. Fish may be found with more than one spine as new ones develop before the old one is lost. They are carnivorous and feed on any bottom living animals , Fish, crustacean, molluscs etc... </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Blue Sting Ray</B></div> <div> <I><B>Dasyatis violacea</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>SHAPE: </B><IMG SRC="1b9c8640.gif" border=0 width="200" height="100" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Disk shaped with curved  wings. Front edge of the disk curved. The snout is small and pointed. The tail is about twice the length of the body. Their is a large number of small spines scattered along the mid-line of the body.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>COLOUR: </B>Upper surface greyish or Brownish with a violet tinge. Underside is lighter.</div> <bR> <div> <B>DISTRIBUTION: </B>Mediterranean, Warm water of eastern Atlantic.</div> <bR> <div> <B>SIZE: </B><1m</div> <bR> <div> Found from shallow water to below 100m. Although found on the bottom this fish leads a more active, free-swimming life than its near relatives. Feeds on small crustacea, fish, molluscs and cephalopods.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Sting ray</B></div> <div> <I><B>Dasyatis americana</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>SHAPE:  </B>Diamond-shaped, with straight leading edges meeting at an angle, Small thorns arranged on each side of the mid-line there is also a tail ridge fold running along the upper side of the spine to the tip.</div> <bR> <div> <B>COLOUR: </B>Olive-brown above matching the shade of the bottom, whitish underneath with margins edged with grey or brown. Tail spine is dark</div> <bR> <div> <B>DISTRIBUTION:</B> Western Atlantic,  New Jersey south to Brazil.</div> <bR> <div> <B>SIZE: </B>80 cm across the disk</div> <div>  </div> <div> A southern visitor only in the northern part of its range. Feeds on bottom-living crustacia, molluscs, small fish etc.. Has been observed to swim in pairs along the bottom.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="1a501810.jpg" border=0 width="513" height="385" ALT="Dasyatis americana photograph" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Sting ray (</B><I><B>Dasyatis americana) </B></I></div> <div> Dick clarke</div> <bR> <div> <B>Little Sting ray</B></div> <div> <I><B>Dasyatis sabina</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>DISTRIBUTION: </B>Western north Atlantic, Chesapeake Bay south to Florida and Gulf of Mexico</div> <bR> <div> <B>SHAPE: </B>Disc with broadly rounded outline to pectoral fins, The snout is pointed and triangular.                     <IMG SRC="1c9bb650.gif" border=0 width="187" height="101" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Tail very slender towards the tip and their is a pronounced ridge fold along the top and bottom of the tail. The spine is more long and thin than other stingrays in the same area.</div> <bR> <div> <B>COLOUR: </B>Brown or yellow brown above, Paler below.</div> <bR> <div> <B>SIZE: </B>40cm across the disc. </div> <div>   </div> <div> Usually found in depths of 3m or less. Frequently enters freshwater.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>What does the spine look like????</B></div> <bR> <div> This diagram of the spine was taken from <B>Biology for Everyman (circa 1934)</B>. The species of sting ray is unknown as the book describes the diagram as that of the 'Tail of sting ray' . The accuracy of the diagram is also unknown.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="1c3b9140.gif" border=0 width="185" height="532" ALT="Stingray Spine " ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Biology for Everyman</B></div> <div> <B>Vol 1, p456</B></div> <div> <B>( J. Arthur Thomson)</B></div> <div> <B>First published 1934</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>What is a Mermaids Purse???</B><B> <A NAME="mermaids_purse"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1c584190.gif" border=0 width="132" height="281" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </B><B>Diagram of a Mermaids purse</B>, The external egg of members of this family. The external casing (leathery in texture) is frequently found washed up on the shoreline. Various species of Rays and Dogfish use this reproductive strategy.</div> <bR> <div> The casing is secured to seaweed etc. by long tendrils which the mother wraps round the weed during the laying process. This is the only part of female has in protecting her offspring  These  tendrils then prevent the egg case being swept away by all but the fiercest of water currents. The fully formed miniature Ray then hatches and starts its life in the dangerous marine world.</div> <bR> <div> The diagram is taken from <B>Biology for Everyman (Vol 1)</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>MORE TO COME IN THE NEAR-FUTURE, IN THE MEANTIME</B></div> <div> <B>Why not have a look at these pages???</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Venom Delivery"><U><B>Venom Delivery</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photographs"><U><B>Photographs</B></U></A><B>   </B><B><This link's target cannot be found></B><B>  </B><A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Author."><U><B>Contact Author.</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Trachinidae Family"><U><B>Trachinidae  Family</B></U></A><B>      </B><A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SANDY SHORE"><U><B>SANDY SHORE</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BOOKS I FOUND USEFUL"><U><B>BOOKS I FOUND USEFUL</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SITE INDEX"><U><B><IMG SRC="27194e10.jpg" border=0 width="148" height="225" ALT="Index Page To Site Link" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>