RAYS

Rays

Rays are fish even though people think they’re not. They eat shellfish, crabs, and fish. The D.Diptera is the scientific name for a Diamond ray and the Dasyatidae is the name for a Whiptail stingray which has the longest tail for rays. They are very close relatives to sharks but what's funny is they are also relatives with fish. The te Reo name for a stingray is whakaahuru and in French it is Raie. Stingrays have zero bones but what’s crazier is that their scientific name is Batoidea.

A Ray has gills like a fish but when they go down to the seafloor and eat they use something called a spiracle it is behind their eyes it opens and closes to let water in. Their eyes are on the top of their head. When an orca or shark comes near they use something called a barb to sting them and if you get stung you can tell what type of ray did it by looking at the shape of them. An eagle ray is a rhombus and a stingray looks like a kite. Their mouth has no teeth so they suck their food off the seafloor and they leave a hole called a feeding pit. A stingray has a pelvic fin right beside its tail. The biggest stingray is 2.4 meters across and 4.3 long it weighs 318-363 kgs.

Stingrays live in NZ and South Australia in harbors and reefs. They like coastal tropical areas. Also, the best place to find them is in the Hauraki Gulf but diamond round and brown rays live in California. They live for 15-25 years and they have been around since the Jurassic period.

We have 5 senses but stingrays have an extra one called an electro scene, they use electro sensors to do this. Stingrays have poison like a bee in their barb but they don't have a flotation device so they just sink to the seafloor if they stop swimming. They are hunted by Sharks, orca, seals, and sea lions. 

If animals don’t kill them our ecosystem will be ruined because other animals won;t get enough protein and they will die. Don’t be scared of them if you go down Tatapouri they are friendly and are super slimy.

Written by James

WALHT: describe the appearance of something	Self Assessment  😃😃😃😃
I will write a topic sentence to begin - (fact)	😃😃😃😃
I will describe the animal's body	😃😃😃😃
I will re-read my descriptions to make sure they make sense.	😃😃😃😃
I will describe the animals head (eyes, mouth, nose, ears)	😃😃😃😃