Stingray. All about sharks

I fell out of sight for several days, because I am in the period of dreams coming true! For a long time I dreamed of living on the seashore... well, not just on vacation, but “to live.”
So it happened - and all thanks to my friend Tanya (http://audiourokidarom.ru), she found me an apartment in Alushta on the very shore of the Black Sea.

A gorgeous view of the sea from the balcony of my room: every day I watch the sunrise and drink coffee on the platform above the sea. Eh, I can’t believe myself that this can happen!

True, she came under sanctions, and according to “ full program“, I’ll tell you sometime... And now we’re talking about ours, about the “girlish” - how stingray fish

Fish stingray Here they “don’t respect”, they hardly eat and they call her a fox. It is caught in a net, and the fishermen sell it for ridiculous money or even just give it to us, like this... In the evening, our “benefactor” (Volodya rents us an apartment) asks us if we would like to try the fox.

After slight bewilderment and subsequent explanations, we screamed with delight "we want, we want!" - what a heck of a lot of exoticism!

Anyone who has not eaten stingray fish is too weak for sanctions!

Volodya asks: will you clean it? We are delighted: "We will, we will!" ... But when we saw her!

Look what we are saw .

In a word, Volodya cleaned it on the shore with a kind of male gadget “curling” - in a word, this gadget supplies water under high pressure. He butchered it (took out the liver, cut off the fins, but did not remove the skin, because we were not going to fry it), and so did we.

Stingray liver is considered the best delicacy in stingray.
It must be removed carefully so that the gallbladder does not rupture!

Products

Stingray liver (500-700 g)
4-5 eggs (yolks only)
1 onion
½ tbsp. oil for frying onions
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking

• Place the liver in boiling water ( you need enough water to cover the liver ).

• Boil for 5-7 minutes ( depending on the size of the liver ).

• Boil the eggs, peel and remove the yolks. ( Don't throw away the whites - we'll need them ).
• Finely chop the onion and fry until slightly golden brown. the onion should be soft .
• Place the finished liver in a colander and let cool.
• Grind all the products in one bowl with a fork into a pate.
• Season.
• Place in the refrigerator.

Serve with black bread.

The pate tastes better after it hardens in the refrigerator.

Why do we need cod liver if you have stingray liver!

Stingray (peeled and cut into pieces) can be fried, but for 2 reasons we use aspic.

Firstly, we have no place for fish, and secondly, stingray, as we were told, is only suitable for aspic. Well, we believed the local Black Sea residents.

Products

1 slope (pieces)
bulb
2-3 carrots
piece of celery root
boiled egg whites
bay leaf, salt and pepper
gelatin

Cooking

• Place pieces of stingray (water level) and vegetables in large pieces into boiling water.
• Cook for 1.5 hours.
• At the end add bay leaf.
• Let cool.
• Remove the meat and disassemble.
• Divide into serving dishes.
• Add egg whites, a little dill and carrot slices.
• Heat the broth and season.
• Soak the gelatin.
• Measure out the broth (we had 1 liter of broth and 2 packs of gelatin).
• Dissolve the swollen gelatin in warm broth.
• Pour the broth.

Stingrays are a superorder of elasmobranch cartilaginous fishes, which includes 5 orders and 15 families. Stingrays are characterized by pectoral fins fused to the head and a rather flat body. Stingrays mainly live in the seas. Science knows several freshwater species. The color of the upper part of their body depends on where exactly the stingrays live. The latter can be either black or very light.

The size of stingrays varies from a few centimeters to several meters; the wingspan of some stingrays can be more than two meters (for example, stingrays from the eagle family). Electric rays are equipped with very specific “weapons”. These stingrays paralyze their prey using electrical discharges.

Stingrays can be found in different corners globe. They are even found off the coasts of Antarctica and in the Arctic Ocean. The best place to watch the “flying” stingray is off the coast of Australia.

Stingrays are related to sharks. Moreover, the closest relatives. There are, of course, no external similarities. In terms of their internal composition, stingrays, like sharks, consist not of bones, but of cartilage. In ancient times, stingrays were similar to sharks not only internal structure, but also external features. However, time has changed them beyond recognition.

Stingrays are ancient fish. This is true - one of the most ancient fish, like sharks.

Stingrays have a unique respiratory system. Why unique, yes because all other fish breathe with gills. However, if the stingray tried to do the same thing, then along with the air it would also suck in the sand lying at the bottom. This is why the breathing of stingrays is different from the breathing of other fish. Air enters the stingray's body through special sprays. The latter are located on the back of this fish. The sprinklers are also protected by a special valve, but if it happens that there is some foreign particle in the sprinklers, then the ramp is freed from it by releasing a stream of water from the sprinklers.

Stingrays are unique waterfowl butterflies. This analogy can be drawn based on how stingrays move in water. They are also unique in that they do not use their tail when swimming, as other fish do. Stingrays move by moving their fins, resembling butterflies.

Stingrays are different from each other. Firstly, in size. Nature knows stingrays only a few centimeters in size and stingrays whose size reaches 7 meters. Secondly, different stingrays also behave differently. Some stingrays do not mind, for example, jumping above the surface of the water, while most of these fish prefer to spend their time buried in the sand.

The sea devil is an amazing stingray. He encourages sailors to write the most incredible legends. Still would! Even if you imagine such a picture, when something seven meters high suddenly flies out of the sea water for a few seconds (and this something is a stingray sea ​​Devil or, as it is also called, a manta ray), whose weight exceeds two tons, then the sailors can quite understand. Moreover, considering the fact that moments later this giant again plunges into the depths of the sea, showing the sailors a farewell black pointed tail.

The sea devil is a safe creature. Despite the largest size of all stingrays, this stingray is not endowed with electrical power, it does not have spines or creepy teeth. And the elongated tail, which is remembered by sailors, is also not armed with anything. The sea devil has a rather good-natured character and does not bother people at all. Sea devils are found in all tropical oceans. They can be seen on the surface of the water, and in its thickness, and at a height of about one and a half meters above the water. By the way, the purpose of the sea devil’s “jumping” out of the water is not known for certain.

Sea devil tastes good. They say that its meat is not only tasty, but also nutritious. In ancient literature you can find descriptions of recipes with sea devil. But hunting this stingray is far from safe and difficult. Due to its size, the sea devil can easily, for example, overturn a boat. And why kill this extraordinary creature of nature, especially considering the fact that the female brings only one cub. True, the size of the latter is very, very impressive, as is the weight, which on average at birth is ten kilograms.

Electric Stingray - scary fish. Much more terrible in its essence than, for example, the sea devil. The fact is that the cells of the electric stingray (it is also called ordinary or marbled) can generate electricity up to 220V (of course, the name of this stingray came from here). And how many divers have been exposed to electric current from these stingrays! It is worth noting the fact that all stingrays are capable of generating electricity, but not to the same extent as the electric stingray. The electric stingray has been known for a long time. Its dimensions can be determined as follows: approximately one and a half meters long and a meter wide. Weighs from twenty-five to thirty kilograms. The upper part of the body is covered with whitish and brown veins, and therefore the shades may vary.

The female electric ray will give birth to live babies. From eight to fourteen cubs can be born at one time. Previously, it was believed that if the cubs were in any danger, the female would take them into her mouth. The cubs stay there until the danger is eliminated. But at present these data have not been confirmed.

Electric rays are lazy creatures. They are very slow by nature. However, marble stingrays have a special power, which lies in the fact that the stingray can make any fish motionless just by touching it. Thanks to this unique ability The stingray does not need to move quickly - having buried itself in the sand, it simply waits for prey. Fish swimming near motionless electric rays quickly become sleepy and lethargic. In the immediate vicinity of a marble stingray, a fish may even die. Fishermen know about this unique ability of the stingray, the force of which reaches the hands through the net and forces them to release the nets. The venom of a living stingray can penetrate the human body even if he touches it with a stick. A dead stingray is completely safe.

The marble stingray delivers electric shocks deliberately. The impacts are more powerful directly underwater. If a stingray is teased, it is easy to force it to repeat the electric shocks several times. By using electrical apparatus marble stingrays defend themselves from enemies and obtain food.

The spiny-tailed ray's weapon is its tail. It is precisely this stingray that plunges into its victim. After this, the stingray pulls its tail back. The victim's wound ruptures due to the fact that the stingray's tail is studded with spines. The spiny-tailed stingray will never attack just like that; it enters into a fight only for the purpose of self-defense. And the diet of the spiny-tailed ray includes crustaceans and mollusks, which the rays grind not with their teeth, but with special plates and protrusions.

Cramp-fish - ancient inhabitant water depths. These mysterious creatures together with sharks (their closest relatives) are the oldest inhabitants of the sea kingdom. Stingrays have mass interesting features, which, in fact, is how they differ from other representatives of the fauna living in the water.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that even in past times, the ancestors of sharks and rays differed little in body structure. But still, millions of years have made these animals different from each other.

Stingray: what species does it belong to?

Stingrays belong to the superorder elasmobranch cartilaginous animals, which comprise five orders and fifteen families. Modern fish the stingray (this is clearly visible in the photo of the animal) is characterized by an incredibly flat body and a head fused with pectoral fins, which gives this creature an interesting and possibly fantastic appearance. The color of a given animal depends mainly on its habitat:

• sea ​​waters;
• fresh water bodies.

Body structure of a stingray

The color of the upper body of stingrays can be light (sandy), multi-colored (with interesting patterns), or dark. Thanks to this coloring, they can easily camouflage themselves, blending into the surrounding space and becoming practically invisible to other animals. As for the lower part of the body of these creatures, as a rule, it is light, almost white. On inside The stingray contains organs, mouth and nostrils, gills (five pairs). Tail sea ​​creatures has a thread-like shape.

Species of stingrays differ greatly in both size and behavior. The size of this animal species ranges from a couple of centimeters to several meters. The wingspan can reach more than two meters (for example, stingrays from the eagle family). U electric stingrays There is an important feature in the form of weapons. They paralyze the victim with the help of electrical discharges, which are produced by all types of stingrays, but in a volume of 220 Volts they are only electric. This discharge is enough to not only paralyze some parts of the human body, but also lead to death.

Units

Most species of stingrays are bottom dwellers and feed on mollusks and crayfish. Pelagic species They eat plankton and small fish. Let's figure out which groups scientists distinguish:

• electrical;
• sawfish;
• slope-shaped;
• tail-shaped.

Various types of stingrays can be found in various places around the globe. They are found in Antarctica and Arctic Ocean. If you want to see a flying stingray with your own eyes, then go to the coast of Australia, there are more than enough of them. The most various types stingrays, photos of which are presented in this article, fully reveal the entire history of their existence and modern life.

Unique breathing system

The flying carpets of the underwater world are stingray fish. The species of these animals are unique in nature, since they have a different respiratory system than other fish that breathe with gills. Air passes into the stingrays' body through special sprays located on the back. These devices are protected by a special valve. If it happens that a foreign object gets into them, the stingray moves away from it by releasing a stream of water from the sprinklers.

In their movement, stingrays resemble butterflies. They do not use their tail to move, as other fish do. They move with the help of fins.

Distinctive features

All stingrays differ from each other, firstly, in size. In nature, fish are known to be only a couple of centimeters long, and stingrays whose size reaches seven meters. In addition, the behavior of each species is completely different. Some of them do not mind jumping above the surface of the water, while others prefer to bury themselves in the sand and rest quietly.

Stingray fish is a predatory animal whose main food is the following marine inhabitants:

• salmon;
• sardines;
• capelin;
• octopuses;
• crabs.

Stingrays are so diverse that even in hunting, everyone uses different weapons - what nature has awarded them. The electric one, having caught up with the prey, clasps it with its fins and hits it. electric shock, waiting for her death. And the prickly tail kills the victim with the help of its tail, studded with thorns, which it thrusts into the enemy. To eat mollusks and crustaceans, they resort to protruding plates that replace their teeth, and they also use them to grind their food. As for reproduction, some of the species are viviparous, while others lay eggs in special natural capsules.

Sea rays: types

1. Bracken - from the family large fish, lead a pelagic lifestyle. These large creatures swim freely in the open sea and tropical regions. Eagle rays move with the help of wavy flapping of their wings - fins. Manta rays and mobulas filter plankton from the water.
2. Stingrays have sharp spines all over their body. The tail of these fish gives off poisonous secret, which is why a blow to them can be fatal. Poison that penetrates the wound can cause tachycardia, vomiting, severe pain and low blood pressure, and paralysis.
3. Guitarfish are similar in appearance, but they have gills, which classifies them as stingrays. They use their tail specifically for movement, which is reminiscent of sharks. They feed on small fish and shellfish. They throw themselves on the victims from above, press them to the ground and then eat them.
4. Stingrays are a family of electric stingrays, there are about 40 species. They are inactive, swim very slowly, and, as a rule, lie at the bottom, buried in the sand. If the prey swims close, one electrical discharge is enough to stun it and then eat it. They also use electrical discharges for defense.
5. Narcinoids - slow ones produce no more than 37 volts. Live in temperate latitudes, love closed sandy bays near coral reefs and river mouths.
6. Sawtooths include seven Poe general appearance resemble sharks, live in tropical places. They feed on schooling fish. When they break into a school of sardines, they beat the fish with a saw, like a saber, and then pick up the prey from the bottom. It is not dangerous for humans.

Characteristics and uniqueness

How many species of stingrays are there on Earth? There are about 600 of them in total, but most of of them lives in salt water: seas and oceans.

Consider those who live in freshwater:

1. Sea devil is an animal big size, weighs up to a couple of tons. It was he who inspired the sailors to compose the most incredible and terrible legends. Imagine for a second how a creature weighing 2 tons flies out of the water, and a moment later goes back into the depths. Despite being the largest stingray, it has no electrical power and no spines or teeth. And the elongated tail is also not armed with anything. Despite his name, he is good-natured and does not bother people at all.
2. Electric ramp is also called marble. A dangerous and scary fish, whose cells produce electricity measuring 220 volts. This type of fish has been known for a very long time; its size is 1.5 meters long and 1 meter wide. Weighs from 25-30 kg, top part The body is decorated with white and brown veins, thanks to which its shades can change. A female electric ray can give birth to up to 14 babies at a time. If they are in any danger, she temporarily hides them in her mouth until the threat passes. These fish have an incredible feature that can make any fish motionless.
3. The spiny-tailed stingray gets its name from its tail. His fish plunges into the next victim, and after the perfect one pulls it back out. The stingray releases its weapon only when it hears danger. The diet includes mollusks and crustaceans, which he calmly grinds not with his teeth, but with platinum.

Unusual fish

When such an unusual and bright fish, it makes a lasting impression. There are a wide variety of stingray species on Earth. Their names often reflect their lifestyle. Stingrays are the real butterflies of the seas and oceans, which delight the eye with their unusual beauty.

Undersea world The seas are full of a variety of marine animals. But are they all so good-natured and ready to please when communicating with them? IN sea ​​depths There are some animals that can cause a lot of trouble. Dangerous sea ​​creatures much less than those that live on land, but it is better to always be prepared for such a meeting. Predatory sea ​​fish The stingray is one of the animals that you should be careful of.

Differ in some ways distinctive features. As a rule, such fish have spines and spines on the dorsal and gill fins, head and tail. A lumpy body and the presence of sharp teeth indicate that it is necessary to stay away from such an animal.

The stingray belongs to the subclass of cartilaginous fish. The skeleton and skull of the stingray are made of cartilaginous tissue; the very name of the stingray speaks of its characteristic feature. The teeth of a stingray are modified plates of scales; the stingray does not have gill covers, and nature has not endowed them with a swim bladder. The length of the slope reaches several meters.

For most of their lives, stingrays lead a benthic lifestyle, lying on the surface of the bottom or partially buried in the sand. Burying itself in the sand, the stingray camouflages itself, which helps it unexpectedly attack its prey. Lying motionless, the stingray watches for various crustaceans and mollusks, and woe to anyone who approaches the hunter close quarters. The breathing of a stingray occurs in a unique way. Inhalation is made through special openings on the back, and exhalation through gill slits on abdominal cavity. Diversity stingrays very large - from small and harmless to huge sea monsters, the weight of which can reach one and a half tons.

Poisonous stingray

The stingray belongs to a family of 30 species. This slope reaches two meters in length and five meters in width. The tail is equipped with two to four sharp spines, which, like the teeth, are outgrowths of scale plates. In large stingrays, the spine reaches a size of 40 cm in length, in calm state covered with a leathery sheath that covers the poisonous glands. The stingray uses a spike when attacking its victim, the cover is pulled back and exposed poisonous thorn with two grooves. The victim is struck with a thorn and poison enters the victim's wound; sometimes upon impact the thorn breaks off and remains in the victim's wound. The impacts of the spike are so strong that they can pierce the shoes of an unwary swimmer or a swimmer's wetsuit.

A stingray will never use its weapon against a person. Most accidents occur due to the negligence of people themselves. A stingray can perfectly camouflage itself, and often a person, without noticing it, becomes the target of an attack. When walking in shallow water, make more noise with your feet, this procedure will scare away the stingray and it will leave its place. Particular care must be taken by scuba divers who swim near the bottom and lift various objects.

Lacerations are quite painful, take a long time to heal, and cause serious infections. The spine of a stingray can pierce a large blood vessel, the bleeding in this case is quite difficult to stop, which leads to large blood loss. Stingray venom in a wound causes severe pain, convulsions, breathing and heart activity are impaired. Deaths are quite rare - they occur from blood loss, myocardial necrosis, and tetanus.

If you are hit by a stingray barb, immediately stop the bleeding, place the affected area in hot water. The wound should be cleaned and sterilized. Need to do local anesthesia and remove the remaining thorn. Sometimes you have to resort to the help of a surgeon.

Electric fish

An extraordinary family of stingrays are the electric stingrays, which includes 30 predatory species. The electric stingray has powerful electrical organs that are located in the front of the body and on the sides. These organs consist of many well-shaped disks, which are somewhat reminiscent of a honeycomb. Each stingray of this species has 375 discs, which are filled with a substance resembling jelly. This mechanism can generate current up to 220 volts. The stingray wraps its fins around its prey and paralyzes its prey with a powerful electrical discharge. Body shape: flat, rounded.

Eagle rays

Another representative of stingrays is the eagle ray. This stingray reaches a width of up to 2.5 meters and a weight of up to 350 kilograms. On enough long tail there are several poisonous spines. This stingray prefers temperate and tropical climates of the seas.

In this article we got acquainted with extraordinary animals - stingrays, which are rich in undersea world of our planet.

Be careful when in the water, avoid contact with this type of cartilaginous fish!

Relatives of sharks - stingrays

Stingrays are the closest relatives of sharks; representatives of these two superorders have much in common in the structure of organisms, but the main thing that unites them is that they belong to cartilaginous fish, their skeleton does not contain bones.
And, of course, they are united by their predatory lifestyle. Both sharks and rays are predatory fish.
Stingrays live in almost the same places as sharks - on the very different latitudes and at various depths...

The taxonomy of stingrays looks like this:

Stingray squads:

• Eaglets (Myliobatiformes)
• Sawfish (Pristiformes)
• Stingrays (Rajiformes)
• Electric rays (Torpediniformes)

General description of the superorder of stingrays

Stingrays ( lat. Batoidea) - one of two superorders of elasmobranch cartilaginous fishes.
Stingrays are characterized by a very “flattened” body and large pectoral fins fused to the head. The mouth, nostrils and five pairs of gills are on the flat and usually light-colored underside.
Most stingrays live in sea ​​water, however, there are also several freshwater species (motoro, etc.)
The upper side of stingrays is adapted in color to a particular living space and can vary from light sand to black. On the upper side there are eyes and holes into which water enters for breathing.

Most species of stingrays lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle and feed on mollusks, crayfish and echinoderms. Pelagic species feed on plankton and small fish.

The superorder of stingrays includes 4 orders, which unite 16 families, about 350 species.
The body length ranges from a few centimeters to 6 - 7 m, and the weight can reach 2.5 tons. The gill slits are located on the ventral side.
The body is strongly flattened, the snout is rounded. Wide pectoral fins grow to the edges of the body and head.
The caudal fin is thin, whip-shaped, and its blades are often reduced.
The anal fin is absent.
Unlike sharks, which swim by oscillating movements of their tail, stingrays use their pectoral fins to do this, flapping them like wings.

The spike-shaped or flattened teeth fit tightly together, forming a grater. The eyeball from above grows into the orbits, the nictitating membrane is absent.
The squirts, as a rule, are much better developed than those of sharks. This is due to the fact that through them the stingrays lying on the bottom draw water into the gill cavity. Only stag rays living in the water column, like sharks, capture water with their mouths.

Widely distributed in all seas and oceans, found both in the cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, and in the shallow coastal waters of tropical seas.
Active in a very wide temperature range - from 1.5 to 30 ° C. Many stingrays live offshore at depths of less than a meter, but deep-sea species are also known to live at depths of 2500–2700 m.

Most species are inhabitants of the seabed, which is why their backs have a protective color that matches the color of the soil. A few species, such as manta rays, inhabit the water column. There are known species, such as river stingrays, that constantly live in fresh water.
They feed on a variety of bottom or planktonic animals, including various fish.
Stingrays reproduce by laying capsuled eggs on the bottom or by viviparity.
In electric rays, special villi, or trophotenia, additionally develop in the uterus, supplying the embryo with nutrients.
Eagle rays and butterfly rays develop long filaments, or trophonemes, that penetrate through the squirter of the embryo into its digestive tract.

One of the most known species The ray is the manta ray (Manta birostris). This fish can reach a size of 6.6 meters in wingspan and a weight of 2 tons.
The movement of the manta's fins resembles the flight of a giant bird. A very mesmerizing sight.
Manta rays, unlike most rays, live in the water column and often rest on the surface, basking in the sun. They love to jump out of the water, and the stingrays fly 1.5 meters up and fall with a deafening roar, raising columns of spray.

Stingrays from the eagle family reach large sizes, whose wingspan can reach 2.5 meters and length - up to five meters; as well as stingrays from the stingray family, reaching 2.1 meters in width and up to 5.5 meters in length.

A special “weapon” is endowed with a squad of electric stingrays, whose representatives, with the help of a special organ made from transformed muscles, can paralyze a small victim electrical discharges from 60 to 230 volts and current up to 300 milliamps.

Order Gnus-shaped or Electric rays (Torpediniformes)

Representatives of this order usually have an almost round body, thicker and fleshier than that of other stingrays. The narrow tail is quite sharply separated from the body. There is a caudal fin. These stingrays are different from all other shark-like species.

Order Stingrays or Diamond-bodied rays (Rajiformes)

Diamond-bodied stingrays (also called ordinary or stingray-shaped) are characterized by a strongly flattened diamond-shaped body, the presence of peculiar outgrowths on the pelvic cartilages and traces of gill folds in the squirts. There are no tail spines (spines). The detachment consists of three families.

Family Rays or Diamond Rays (Rajidae)

The family of diamondback rays includes 6 genera and more than 100 species. They are characterized by a wide disc, more or less diamond-shaped, and usually covered with large spines and small spines.

Family Shark-tailed rays (Rhynchobatidae)

In terms of body shape, the stingrays belonging to this group occupy a sort of intermediate position between typical sharks and stingrays. Their body is flattened, but its tail part is almost not externally separated from the body. The snout is elongated.

Family Gymnuridae or Butterfly Rays (Gymnuridae)

Butterfly rays are characterized by a small tail and a very wide disc, the width of which is more than one and a half times its length. They are closely related to stingrays, but not all species belonging to this group have a tail spine.

Family Guitar rays (Rhinobatidae)

Stingrays belonging to this family have a certain similarity in body shape to a stringed musical instrument.
In England and the USA they are called “guitar fish”, in Australia “banjo shark”, in France “sea violin”.

Order Eagle Rays, or Eagle Rays (Myliobatidae)

In eagle rays, the pectoral fins are tapered or interrupted in front at eye level, so that the head stands out clearly in front of the disc. At the same time, the anterior projections of the pectoral fins connect with each other under the tip of the snout. The order of eagle rays includes a vast stingray family, which some scientists identify as a separate detachment. These stingrays have a bone spine in their tail, which serves as protection against attacks from enemies. There have been cases when swimmers, who inadvertently stepped on a stingray, suffered from the blow of the tail of these fish armed with a spike.

Order Sawfish or Sawfish (Pristidae)

This family includes only one genus, containing 7 species. They differ from other stingrays in their highly elongated snout, which has the shape of an elongated flat blade, lined with large tooth-like projections on the sides.
Sawtooth rays are very similar in appearance to sawtooth sharks, which are also armed with a saw. The difference lies only in the location of the gill slits (in stingrays they are on the lower part of the body, while in sharks they are on the side) and in the presence of antennae in sharks or the lower part of the snout in front of the sawtooth outgrowth.

What else about stingrays...

Stingrays reproduce by laying capsuled eggs on the bottom or by viviparity. In electric rays, special villi, or trophotenia, additionally develop in the uterus, supplying the embryo with nutrients.
The meat of many stingrays is eaten. Stingray is a common food for Pacific inhabitants. Stingray wings are a delicacy in Portuguese cuisine.
The liver is used to produce fat.
Stingray leather is durable and has an unusual texture; it is used in the leather industry for the manufacture of wallets, belts, bags, briefcases, etc. Handles Japanese swords Katanas were covered with stingray skin.

For humans, stingrays pose a certain danger, although, it should be noted, no unprovoked attacks on people have been recorded.
If you step on a stingray buried in the sand or resting at the bottom, it can cause a serious wound to the offender, and, among other things, inject poison into it.

He has a thorn on his tail, or rather real sword- up to 20 centimeters in length. Its edges are very sharp, and also jagged, along the blade, on the lower side there is a groove in which dark poison from the poisonous gland on the tail is visible. If you touch a stingray lying at the bottom, it will strike with its tail like a whip; at the same time, it sticks out its spine and can cause a deep chopped wound. A wound from a stingray blow is treated like any other. The mucus covering the thorn can be poisonous, although the poison is not fatal.
It is dangerous to “communicate” with electric stingrays, which can inflict quite a strong blow with the help of their unique weapons. However, like stingrays, electric rays do not attack people without reason.

Marine "power plants"

Electric rays are found in temperate and tropical latitudes. Their usual habitats are the sandy bottom of coastal waters, Coral reefs, muddy bays. They can live at significant depths - up to 1000 m.
Their appearance is “slope-shaped”, their color ranges from dark brown to greenish. Electric rays often have dark, contrasting spots on their bodies. These fish lead sedentary lifestyle life, preferring to lie on the bottom or burrow into the sand, where they lie in wait for their prey - various small bottom organisms - small fish, crustaceans, etc.

Some specific form The bodies have the famous Torpedo rays (Torpedo marmorata), which in appearance resemble round mattresses - an oval and very fleshy body with a small tail. I just want to lie down on such a “mattress” lying on seabed, but, of course, you shouldn’t do this. The sensations from such a vacation will not bring pleasure and bliss - the discharge of a large torpedo can reach more than a hundred milliamps at a voltage of over 50 V. It would seem that the voltage is small, but the current flowing through the body of a person who touches the stingray will be sufficient for sparks to fall from the eyes fireworks.
However, history does not know of cases when an electric stingray electrocuted people.

Electric stingrays are armed with natural spring electricity - a special organ whose purpose is to paralyze prey or protect the stingray from danger.
The approximate structure of the “electric generator” of the Torpedo ray, which lives in many Atlantic seas, is as follows: electricity is generated in special organs that are located between the head and pectoral fins and consist of hundreds of hexagonal columns filled with a gelatinous substance and passing through the entire body of the ray from the back to the belly. The columns are separated from each other by dense partitions, to which the nerves approach. The tops and bases of the columns are in contact with the skin of the back and belly. The nerves leading to the electrical organs are highly developed and have many endings.

Electric rays, with the help of their current generator organs, can produce discharges of up to 300 volts with a current strength of 7-8 A (Atlantic ray Torpedo (Torpedo marmorata), but usually much less - 5-40 volts. This voltage is quite enough to paralyze the victim for a long time and have time to eat it, since electric stingrays feed on small marine organisms.
A person can get quite unpleasant sensations from the electrical impulse generated by large stingrays, but they do not pose a particular threat to life. Interestingly, it was previously considered useful to receive electric shocks from electric stingrays to treat certain diseases, and people suffering from the disease wandered barefoot in shallow water sandy beaches, in the hope of receiving a healing blow...

Electric rays generally never attack people unless they are touched or stepped on while swimming. Therefore, divers and vacationers just need to be more careful when swimming in the habitats of electric stingrays.