We all know about the manta ray or giant sea devil- the largest stingray in the world, whose body width can reach 7 meters. But few people have heard about its giant freshwater brothers. They can grow up to 4.6 meters in length and up to 2 meters in width - Giant freshwater stingray or stingray (lat. Himantura Chaophraya) (eng. Giant Freshwater Stingray)
The very existence of the giant freshwater stingray is shrouded in mystery. No one still knows exactly how many stingrays live in the tropical rivers of Malaysia, New Guinea, Indonesia and Thailand, in what conditions they live most comfortably, and whether they happen to go out into the open sea, where their closest relatives live.
The habitat of these stingrays are the rivers of Thailand (Mekong, Meklong, Chao Phraya, Tachin, Ban Pakong, Tapi), Indonesia - the Mahakam River basin on the island. Kalimantan, Malaysia - Kinabatangan River in Sabah. They can also be found on the island of Borneo, New Guinea and Australia.
These ancient representatives of the class cartilaginous fish have remained almost unchanged during their existence. Just like millions of years ago, their brownish-gray body retains a round shape like a huge saucer, a long whip-like tail and a pair of small eyes. They still burrow into the sandy or muddy bottoms of tropical rivers, breathing through holes in their upper bodies. Here they lie in wait for their prey, crabs or shellfish, recognizing their approach by the electrical signals they emit.
The freshwater stingray's body is disc-shaped with a small triangular snout and a long flexible tail. Sometimes the diameter of the disk can reach 2 meters. The weight of this giant is about 450-500 kilograms. The upper side of the stingray is brown in color, and the lower side is white with small gray or brown streaks on the sides. The skin on the “back” feels like sandpaper to the touch.
In the front part of the body there are small eyes, gill covers and a mouth armed with many teeth. On the skin around the nose and mouth on the underside there is a kind of sensory sensor that allows you to detect the magnetic and electric fields of other living beings. This device makes it easier to find food. With the help of a sensor, a stingray can easily detect prey hidden at the bottom of the river or hiding in the dark and muddy water.
The freshwater stingray has in its arsenal terrible weapon- 2 powerful and sharp spikes located on the tail. Each of them has its own purpose. A large internal spine is used to hold the victim. It works on the principle of a harpoon, i.e. The thorn penetrates the victim’s flesh like clockwork, but many jagged edges prevent it from being pulled out. The blow of this stingray's tail is so strong that it can even pierce the bottom of a boat with its large spike. Therefore, no rubber boots or wetsuit will save a diver from his weapon. The length of this spike can reach 38 centimeters.
The stingray swings its tail very skillfully and almost always hits the target. To be fair, it should be said that the stingray does not attack just like that. To do this, he needs to be quite disturbed or grabbed.
The second spike is smaller. Its main purpose is to inject poison, which is very dangerous for humans and can lead to death. The poison looks like thick, dark mucus. It passes through a special groove leading from the poisonous glands.
The stingray's diet consists of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates.
As for the reproduction of these fish, these stingrays are viviparous. The female gives birth to one calf, about 34-35 centimeters long.
And although stingrays do not attack people without reason, ordinary contact with them is not always safe. At the base of the river giant’s tail there is a long (up to forty centimeters) poisonous thorn, easily piercing not only the skin, but also the bones of a person. There are cases when a giant freshwater stingray overturned the boats of its overly persistent pursuers.
A female stingray of unprecedented size was caught in Thailand. In order to drag the sea resident into the boat, it took the efforts of 13 adult men.
A giant stingray was caught in the waters of the Maeklong River. For almost an hour and a half, the fishermen struggled with him, lifting him on board. When they managed to drag the monster into the boat, the researchers were delighted: they were lucky enough to get the largest specimen in history. Its weight was 350 kg, and its dimensions were two by two meters, not counting its three-meter tail.
The giant turned out to be a female, and a pregnant one at that. The lady was treated with care. Specialists working within the framework of the International Union for Conservation of Nature program, which provides for the conservation of endangered fish species, placed it in a pool, where they took DNA samples. After a painless procedure, the mother was released back into the river.
By the way
Giant stingrays are dangerous. From such poison sea monster World famous Australian explorer dies wildlife Steve Irwin. This happened in 2006 off the coast of Australia in the Coral Sea in the Great Barrier Reef area.
(Manta birostris) is the largest stingray and belongs to the class Cartilaginous fish, subclass Elasmobranchs, superorder Batoidea or Rays, order Dasyatiformes or Stingrays.
It can reach 2 m in length with a “wingspan” of up to 7 m, and its weight reaches two tons. Separate front parts pectoral fins The shape resembles horns, which is why the manta ray is also called the sea devil. The mouth of these stingrays is very wide and is located on the front edge of the head. Like other stag rays, mantas have developed a kind of filtering apparatus, consisting of gill plates on which food is filtered - planktonic crustaceans, small fish. Manta rays travel vast distances in search of food, constantly following the movement of plankton. The animal is warm-blooded.
Mantas move beautifully in the water, flapping their “wings” with ease and grace. Sometimes observed lying on the surface of the water. In this case, one of the pectoral fins bends so that its edge sticks out.
The ability of sea devils to jump out of the water is well known. At the same time, they can rise 1.5 m above its surface. The sound of a large specimen falling on the water is heard like thunder and can be heard for several miles.
Manta rays are completely safe for humans because they are not aggressive. However, touching her skin, which is covered with small spines, is fraught with bruises and abrasions. Manta rays feed on plankton, crustaceans and small fish. The back is black, the belly is bright white.
Giant manta rays are found in tropical waters of all oceans. They live in the water column and are sometimes found even in the open ocean.
Manta rays have teeth only on the lower jaw, each of which is the size of a pinhead. The tip of each tooth has a blunt surface with three faint grooves. These teeth are often indistinguishable from teeth in the mouth and are not involved in the process of eating food. They can play a sanitary role and are important during the courtship period.
Like sharks and other rays, manta rays undergo internal fertilization. Male Mantas have a pair of penis-like organs (claspers) that develop on the inside of their pelvic limbs (like limbs, of course). Each clasper has a depression through which sperm enters the female's body, where fertilization occurs. During courtship, several Mantas can try for quite a long time to achieve the love of the female. But ultimately, the most successful Manta grabs the top of its mouth wings with its teeth (which we have already written about) and pushes it into the stomach. And somehow it turns out that it is at this moment that one of his claspers penetrates the cloaca. Copulation lasts 90 seconds. The female manta bears a single, but very substantial calf, about 125 cm wide and weighing 10 kg. When it is born, it emerges from the mother's womb tail first, curled into a cylinder, and immediately turns around, beginning to flap its pectoral fins.
Manta with yellow fish. Scientists have found that the manta ray may be one of the most... smart creatures in the ocean. (Andrea Marshall)
A young manta ray feeding: With a fin span of up to 7.5 meters, manta rays are the largest of the diamond rays. (Guy Stevens)
Manta ray view from below. Typically, females of this species give birth to one young. Pregnancy lasts 12 months. (Andrea Marshall)
The results of the study showed that one of the giant stingrays, named Magellan, swam 1,126 km in 60 days. (Andrea Marshall)
Several manta rays feed together in Landaa Lagoon in the Maldives. (Guy Stevens)
More than a hundred manta rays gather in the Maldives to find food. (Andrea Marshall)
Stingrays gather during the monsoon season. (Andrea Marshall)
The process of filming a film about manta rays. (Andrea Marshall)
Giant stingray with divers. With a fin span of up to 7.5 meters giant stingray Manta rays are much larger than reef rays. (Andrea Marshall)
The abundance of plankton in coastal waters Sharm el-Sheikh attracts large manta rays and every diver can try his luck. Camel Dive Club videographers managed to film several manta rays and we are happy to offer you this sketch.
The giant freshwater stingray (Himantura polylepis, Himantura chaophraya) belongs to the superorder stingrays.
Distribution of the giant freshwater stingray.
The giant freshwater stingray is found in major river systems in Thailand, including the Mekong, Chao Phraya, Nana, Nai Kapong, Prachin Buri, and streams river basins. This species is also found in the Kinabatangan River in Malaysia and on the island of Borneo (in the Mahakam River).
Habitats of the giant freshwater stingray.
The giant freshwater stingray is usually found above the sandy bottom in big rivers, at a depth of 5 to 20 meters. Many females are found in estuaries, possibly giving birth in brackish waters. The appearance of this species of stingray has not been observed in full marine environment a habitat.
External signs of a giant freshwater stingray.
Like other species of stingrays, the giant freshwater stingray is distinguished by large sizes, oval body shape and long tail. Large individuals reach a weight of 600 kg and a length of 300 cm, a third of which is the tail.
The tail is very smooth on the dorsal side, but on the ventral side of the spine it is serrated and connected to a venom gland.
Two pelvic fins are located on either side of the tail. Basic distinctive feature that separates males from females is the presence special education in each male in the abdominal area.
Sperm is released from this structure during copulation. The oval shape of the giant freshwater stingray is formed by the pectoral fins, which are located in front of the snout.
The pectoral fins contain 158-164 pectoral radials, which are small bony structures that support the large fins. Overall, the body is relatively flat.
The mouth is on the underside and consists of two jaws filled with small teeth, the lips are covered with small papillae that look like taste buds.
The gill slits run in two parallel rows posterior to the mouth. The giant freshwater stingray's coloring is brown on the upper surface of its wide, thin, disc-shaped body, paler on its belly, and black at the edges. The giant freshwater stingray has a poisonous sting, a large whip-shaped tail, and small eyes. The dark-colored upper body hides the stingray from predators swimming above it, and the light belly disguises the contours of the body from predators stalking prey below, thanks to the falling sunlight.
Reproduction of a giant freshwater stingray.
Giant freshwater stingrays detect each other during the breeding season using specific electrical signals produced by the males. Males produce and store sperm for a year to ensure a sufficient supply of sperm as mating occurs with multiple females. The females then leave the males and live in brackish waters until they give birth.
There is very little information about the reproduction of giant freshwater stingrays in the wild. Embryo development lasts about 12 weeks.
During the first 4-6 weeks, the embryo elongates, but its head has not yet developed. After 6 weeks, gills grow, fins and eyes develop. The tail and spine appear shortly before emergence. Captive breeding of giant freshwater stingrays has shown that females give birth to 1 to 2 young stingrays that look like miniature adults. The average body width of newly hatched young is 30 centimeters.
Females care for their young until the young rays grow to one-third the length of the female. From this point on, they are considered mature and move independently in the freshwater habitat.
There is no information on the lifespan of giant freshwater stingrays in the wild, however, other members of the genus Himantura live from 5 to 10 years. In captivity, this species of stingray reproduces slowly due to feeding habits and lack of space.
Behavior of a giant freshwater stingray.
Giant freshwater rays are sedentary fish that usually stay in one area. They do not migrate and remain in the same river system in which they appeared.
Stingrays communicate with each other using electrical impulses, and they have pores scattered throughout their bodies that lead to channels under the skin.
Each pore contains many sensory receptor cells that help detect the movement of prey and predators by sensing the electrical fields that occur during movement.
Stingrays can also perceive the world visually, although with the help of vision these fish have difficulty finding prey in areas with dark and muddy water. Giant freshwater stingrays have developed organs of smell, hearing, and a lateral line for detecting vibrations in the water.
Feeding of a giant freshwater stingray.
The giant freshwater stingray typically feeds on the river bottom. The mouth contains two jaws that act as crushing plates, and small teeth continue to crush the food. The diet consists mainly of bottom fish and invertebrates.
Adult giant freshwater rays, as the largest organisms in their habitat, have little natural enemies. Their protective coloring and sedentary lifestyle lives are reliable protection from predators.
Meaning for a person.
Giant freshwater stingrays serve as food for local residents in some Asian cities, although it is prohibited to catch this endangered fish species. They are also kept in aquariums and are used as a popular species for sport fishing.
When fishermen try to catch a giant freshwater stingray, it beats hard with its tail, armed with a large, jagged, poisonous spine, to escape. This thorn is strong enough to pierce a wooden boat. But giant freshwater stingrays never attack without reason.
Conservation status of the giant freshwater stingray.
Due to the rapid decline in the number of giant freshwater stingrays, the IUCN has declared the species critically endangered.
Rare stingrays are being bred in Thailand to restore the population, although their survival rate in captivity is very low.
Scientists are marking the remaining stingrays with special markers in order to understand the patterns of their movement and strengthen the protection of the species, but there are no significant results yet. The main threats to giant freshwater stingrays are disturbance of forest cover, which leads to drought, floods during monsoon rains, as well as the construction of dams that impede the migration of fish and successful breeding. In Australia, the main threat to this species is considered to be the accumulation of waste from uranium processing in river mud, which contains heavy metals and radioisotopes. Throughout its range, the giant freshwater stingray is in danger from direct destruction by fishing, and due to habitat destruction, fragmentation, leading to inbreeding depression. The giant freshwater stingray is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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The world's largest stingray, whose body width can reach 7 meters. But few people have heard about its giant freshwater brothers. They can grow up to 4.6 meters in length and up to 2 meters in width - Giant Freshwater Stingray (Himantura Chaophraya)
The very existence of the giant freshwater stingray is shrouded in mystery. No one still knows exactly how many stingrays live in the tropical rivers of Malaysia, New Guinea, Indonesia and Thailand, in what conditions they live most comfortably, and whether they happen to go out into the open sea, where their closest relatives live.
The habitat of these stingrays are the rivers of Thailand (Mekong, Meklong, Chao Phraya, Tachin, Ban Pakong, Tapi), Indonesia - the Mahakam River basin on the island. Kalimantan, Malaysia - Kinabatangan River in Sabah. They can also be found on the island of Borneo, New Guinea and Australia.
These ancient representatives of the class of cartilaginous fish have hardly changed during their existence. Just like millions of years ago, their brownish-gray body retains a round shape like a huge saucer, a long whip-like tail and a pair of small eyes. They still burrow into the sandy or muddy bottoms of tropical rivers, breathing through holes in their upper bodies. Here they lie in wait for their prey, crabs or shellfish, recognizing their approach by the electrical signals they emit.
The freshwater stingray's body is disc-shaped with a small triangular snout and a long flexible tail. Sometimes the diameter of the disk can reach 2 meters. The weight of this giant is about 450-500 kilograms. The upper side of the stingray is brown, and the lower side is white with small gray or brown streaks on the sides. The skin on the “back” feels like sandpaper to the touch.
In the front part of the body there are small eyes, gill covers and a mouth armed with many teeth. On the skin around the nose and mouth on the underside there is a kind of sensory sensor that allows you to detect the magnetic and electric fields of other living beings. This device makes it easier to find food. With the help of a sensor, a stingray can easily detect prey hidden at the bottom of the river or hiding in dark and turbid water.
The freshwater stingray has a terrible weapon in its arsenal - 2 powerful and sharp spikes located on its tail. Each of them has its own purpose. A large internal spine is used to hold the victim. It works on the principle of a harpoon, i.e. The thorn penetrates the victim’s flesh like clockwork, but many jagged edges prevent it from being pulled out. The blow of this stingray's tail is so strong that it can even pierce the bottom of a boat with its large spike. Therefore, no rubber boots or wetsuit will save a diver from his weapon. The length of this spike can reach 38 centimeters.
The stingray swings its tail very skillfully and almost always hits the target. To be fair, it should be said that the stingray does not attack just like that. To do this, he needs to be quite disturbed or grabbed.
The second spike is smaller. Its main purpose is to inject poison, which is very dangerous for humans and can lead to death. The poison looks like thick, dark mucus. It passes through a special groove leading from the poisonous glands.
The stingray's diet consists of fish, crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates.
As for the reproduction of these fish, these stingrays are viviparous. The female gives birth to one calf, about 34-35 centimeters long.
And although stingrays do not attack people without reason, ordinary contact with them is not always safe. At the base of the river giant’s tail there is a long (up to forty centimeters) poisonous spike, which easily pierces not only the skin, but also the bones of a person. There are cases when a giant freshwater stingray overturned the boats of its overly persistent pursuers.
A female stingray of unprecedented size was caught in Thailand. In order to drag the sea resident into the boat, it took the efforts of 13 adult men.
A giant stingray was caught in the waters of the Maeklong River. For almost an hour and a half, the fishermen struggled with him, lifting him on board. When they managed to drag the monster into the boat, the researchers were delighted: they were lucky enough to get the largest specimen in history. Its weight was 350 kg, and its dimensions were two by two meters, not counting its three-meter tail.
The giant turned out to be a female, and a pregnant one at that. The lady was treated with care. Specialists working within the framework of the International Union for Conservation of Nature program, which provides for the conservation of endangered fish species, placed it in a pool, where they took DNA samples. After a painless procedure, the mother was released back into the river.
By the way
Giant stingrays are dangerous. The world famous Australian wildlife researcher died from the venom of such a sea monster.
The manta ray gained worldwide fame thanks to its huge size. In the widest part of the body - from one tip of the fin to the other - it can reach 7 meters. Moreover, its weight is about 2 tons.
Manta rays live in all warm seas and tropical waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, including the Mediterranean Sea.
The second name is “ sea Devil"- the manta received the head fins located along the edges of the mouth slit. While swimming, they curl into a tube and become like horns. These fins are necessary for the stingray to hunt. While swimming, he directs a stream of water rich in plankton and small fish into his mouth.
"Horns" They travel long distances in search of food. Like, which, by the way, is its closest relative, manta rays suck in water and pass it through many gill plates. After filtration, plankton and small fish remain on them. Then the entire catch is sent to the stomach.
Bottom view Mantas, unlike other stingrays, most spend their lives in the upper strata open sea. Their swimming is mesmerizing. It can be compared to the soaring flight of a huge bird in the air. The movements of its huge ventral fins are so smooth and proportionate. Sometimes sea devils can be seen lying on the surface of the water.
In the habitats or migrations of these animals, sometimes an incredible spectacle unfolds above the surface of the water - these giants quickly jumping out of the water and a deafening landing with a fountain of splashes. Sometimes the roar from these jumps can be heard several kilometers away. No one can say for sure what the purpose of these jumps is, but there is an assumption that in this way they attract partners or stun schools of small fish.
In these places you need to be careful not to swim close to their flock, as one of them can accidentally fall on a small boat and sink it. This is the only threat that can come from this underwater inhabitant.
One of these cases occurred quite recently - at the end of March this year, when, while on vacation in Florida, a small yacht that was rented married couple with the children, a giant stingray jumped in and pinned the woman with all its weight. But everything ended well. The victim escaped with fear and a couple of bruises, and the stingray was released back into the sea.
Previously people They believed that the stingray specifically attacks divers, wrapping them around them with its huge fins, like a cloak, and drags them to the bottom. By the way, it is for this reason that the stingray got its name “manta”, which is translated from Spanish as “cloak”.
Small flock of stingrays 
The discovery of this animal occurred in 1792 and belongs to Johann Julius Walbaum, a German doctor, naturalist, zoologist and taxonomist.
Little is known about the reproduction process of these stingrays. The female brings one cub about 125 cm wide and weighing 10 kg. While he is in the womb, he feeds on her milk. Childbirth occurs very quickly. The baby, one might say, flies out of the mother’s womb, curled up into a tube. Then he spreads his fins and, together with the female, goes on a journey around the world.
These stingrays, despite their size, are quite vulnerable, especially the young ones. They do not have a single serious means of defense against their main enemies - sharks. They rarely attack adults, but they often have to be driven away from the young.
Manta rays are very curious, beautiful and non-aggressive animals, which arouse genuine interest among divers. Many of them dream of swimming next to these underwater inhabitants and someone succeeds.
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