Bat ray
Species of cartilaginous fish / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The bat ray (Myliobatis californica)[2][3][4] is an eagle ray found in muddy or sandy sloughs, estuaries and bays, kelp beds and rocky-bottomed shoreline in the eastern Pacific Ocean, between the Oregon coast and the Gulf of California. It is also found in the area around the Galápagos Islands.[5] The largest specimens can grow to a wingspan of 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) and a mass of 91 kg (201 lb).[6] They more typically range from 9.07–13.61 kg (20.0–30.0 lb). The size of the bat ray is dependent on many factors, such as habitat alterations, different oceanographic and environmental conditions. Some bat rays are solitary while others form schools numbering in the thousands.[7]
Bat ray | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Superorder: | Batoidea |
Order: | Myliobatiformes |
Family: | Myliobatidae |
Genus: | Myliobatis |
Species: | M. californica |
Binomial name | |
Myliobatis californica (T. N. Gill, 1865) | |
Range map |
The sexual maturity size of the female Myliobatis california is often greater than the male one.[8] Predators of the bat ray include California sea lion, great white sharks and broadnose sevengill sharks. To keep themselves safe from predators, bat rays camouflage in the sand.[9]