What are the identifying characteristics of an oceanic manta Ray?
What are the identifying characteristics of a Reef Manta Ray?
What are the identifying characteristics of a Spinetail Devil Ray?
What are the characteristics of a sicklefin devil ray?
What classification are rays?
The largest subgroup of the chondrichtyan fishes
How many families and species of rays are there?
What families are we interested in in IOP?
What are the three main concepts in the importance of rays to coral ecosystem?
How to rays and skates reproduce?
They separate sexes and fertilisation is internal. Males transfer sperm to females and they eventually give birth to live young or lay large leathery eggs.
What are a male ray’s sex organs called?
Claspers - two external sex organs called claspers located beneath the body
How do rays mate?
The male uses one of their claspers to transfer sperm into the cloaca (opening) of the female
What is the gestation period for rays?
Around 9 months.
For most species the female will carry the young with in her body for around 9 months before giving birth to up to 15 live young rays, that will swim and hunt with the mother
What is different regarding reproduction for manta ray species?
The manta ray species will give birth to only 1 live pup that is birthed wrapped up like a burrito with a wingspan of around 1.5 m as a new born
How do some other ray species reproduce?
What is the survival rate of newborn rays?
Most rays that have been studied grow slowly, and maybe only 1 in 10 rays survive the 8 years it takes for them to reach sexual maturity
What is the lifespan of rays?
Up to 30 years
Why is it important rays are not heavily fished?
Because they grown slowly and produce only a small number of young each year
What are some threats to rays?
What is protection like for rays in Indonesia?
What are the colour morphs that manta species show?
What is chevron?
What is melanistic?
What is Leucistic?
What is the maximum size of an oceanic manta ray?
up to 7 m