Manta Rays essays

Manta Rays essays Rays are a flattened type of fish with wide fleshey pectoral fins that look like wings. Their skin is rough and scaly. The ray has a short, whip-like tail, and gills on the outside of the body. The rays mouth is broad and rectangular and contains small teeth in the lower jaw. Two cephalic lobes extend from the front of the rays head. These are used to crush prey for food since their teeth are small and useless for eating. Rays have no bones. Their skeleton is made of cartilage. Cartilage is a tough substance that is not as hard as bone. Some parts of their skeleton, like their vertebrae, are calcified. Even the rays skull is flattened. Manta Rays do not have stingers on their tails like the stingrays. Their color varies from black to gray-blue on its back. It has a white underside with gray splotches. Manta rays can measure up to 29 feet long and 22 feet wide. They can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Manta rays are nicknamed devil rays because their extended fins look like devils horns. The word Manta in Spanish means cloak or blanket. The rays are closely related to the shark. Manta rays are the largest of all the rays. One common myth is that a manta ray can capsize a boat by leaping out of the water and crashing into the boat. Another myth is that the manta can drown swimmers by wrapping around them. Both these myths are untrue. Actually the rays even appear to enjoy the company of the divers and will play around the divers instead of swimming away from them. Manta Rays have a high ratio of brain weight to body weight. They are extremely intelligent. Scientist believe rays are probably smarter than sharks. They are also very curious animals. Rays often approach divers and just watch them. Manta rays are powerful creatures. They are harmless, non-aggressive, and are also non-territorial. The earliest known rays date back to the Jurassic period, which is about 150 million years ago. Since ray...