The bat ray is type of large venomous fish, a member of the eagle ray family that is named so because of its pectoral fins spread such that its appearance resembles that of a bat.
Table of Contents
Scientific Classification
Animalia
Chordata
Chondrichthyes
Myliobatiformes
Myliobatidae
Myliobatis
Myliobatis californica
Table Of Content
Table of Contents
Scientific Classification
Animalia
Chordata
Chondrichthyes
Myliobatiformes
Myliobatidae
Myliobatis
Myliobatis californica
Table of Contents
Bat rays live in the muddy estuaries and sandy bay areas of USA, and belong to the family of Myliobatidae and to the Myliobatis genus.
Bat Ray Pictures
Physical Description
Size: Bat rays are about 11.4 inches at birth, and can grow up to 5.9 feet when mature.
Wingspan: Their wingspan measures up to 6 feet.
Weight: They weigh around 200 lbs.
SexualDimorphism: Females are larger than in size than males.
Color: They have a black or dark brown dorsal side, while the ventral side is white.
Teeth: They have flat teeth that are set in neatly-packed rows.
Habitat
Bat rays live on sandy seafloors and stay in shallow bays that are muddy or have sandy beds. They prefer estuaries and at times are found living in rocky reefs.
Distribution
Their geographic range includes the eastern Pacific Ocean, from the coastline of Oregon to the Gulf of California, it can also be found near the Galapagos Islands.
Bat Ray
Bat Ray Images
Adaptations
The bat ray has a venomous spine which it uses to sting potential threats.
During birth, the spine of the pups stay flexible and covered in a sheath which sloughs off in hours after it is bornto ensure that the barbed stinger does not harm the mother during delivery.
They can live in environments with varying degrees of salinities because they are euryhaline.
The bat ray has flat teeth packed in tight rows in its mouth to facilitate the grinding and crushing of hard-shelled prey.
Since bat rays do not breathe through their mouths, they have openings on top of each eye called spiracles, which help in breathing.
Bat ray skull
Mating and Reproduction
Bat rays mate once a year during the seasons of spring or summer. Their copulation method includes the male sliding under the female and inserting a clasper into the cloaca of the female. They move around in synchronized wing beats for the duration of the insemination.
They are ovoviviparous and eggs get fertilized internally. Before a male selects a female mate, it swims closely to the latter in order to detect chemical signals. This is done to assess the reproductive state of the female. When a mate is chosen, a male ray fish swims beneath the female touching his back with her belly. This is done to find a position near to the female genital and find a grip.
Eggs stay inside the female bodies in a brood chamber which performs the development stages of the embryo. Normally females reproduce a litter of around 10 babies.
Bat Ray Fish
Baby Bat Ray
Life-cycle
2-10 babies hatch depending on the size of the mother. The young babies don’t require parental care after birth.
They reach sexual maturity at 5 years of age.
Lifespan
They have been known to live for up to 23 years.
Diet: What Do Bat Rays Eat
These species prefer eating small fishes roaming around the seabed, crustaceans and mollusks. They also consume crabs, clams, California Spiny Lobsters, oysters and other fishes.
Bat Ray Fishing
Bat Ray Stinger
Behavior
Bat rays are solitary in nature (except during feeding and mating), though they are spotted swimming in the thousands, sometimes even with heterospecifics.
While it rests at the seafloor and is approached, it tends to raise itself on its wingtips with its back arched, primed to swim away if needed.
They are known to dig trenches with their fins to reach foods that are buried in the seafloor.
The poisonous stinger is not considered dangerous as it only uses it as a defense mechanism when threatened or attacked.
Bat rays are highly locomotive, moving around constantly for most the day, they are sometimes seen jumping out of the water and skimming along the surface for seconds at a time, likening the movement somewhat to flying.
They often bury themselves in sand.
They use their wings to lift themselves upward and downward build suction in sand before hunting on their preys.
A full grown bat ray’s mouth has the strength to create a pressure of 150 pounds per inch.
Predators
Big ocean animals such as Broadnose sevengill sharks, California Sea Lion, Leopard sharks and White sharks pose threats to this fish.
IUCN Conservation Status
The bat ray is categorized under Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Bat Ray Sting
Interesting Facts
Fossils of the bat ray have been found which date back to a million years.
They are a rather popular exhibit in marine parks and aquariums, where visitors are permitted to stroke their wings.
In yesteryears, native tribes of the Californian coast used to fish bat rays in large numbers and presumably using it as edibles.
Their tails bear a venomous spine near the bottom. It does not pose any danger. They use their spines only when attacked or threatened.
These creatures are popular marine park animals. Visitors are allowed to touch their wings.
They are dimorphic.
These creatures are often found to jump out of water and skim over the surfaces.
