News
SpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliamentSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaIndiaHilsa production dropped 26% in five years, fisheries minister tells parliament
EveryFish

Rays and skates

Mantas, stingrays, sawfish, guitarfish and electric rays. 1 fish on EveryFish so far.

Rays and skates are cartilaginous fish, close relatives of sharks, with bodies flattened from top to bottom and pectoral fins joined to the head to form wide wings. Their gill slits are on the underside, and they breathe through spiracles behind the eyes while resting on the bottom. There are more than 600 species, including stingrays, skates, electric rays, guitarfish, sawfish and the manta rays.

Fliers, diggers and stingers

Most rays live on the sea floor, eating clams, crabs and worms they dig from the sand and crush with flat teeth. Eagle rays and mantas swim in open water, beating their wings like birds; the giant manta can span about 7 metres and filters plankton. Stingrays defend themselves with a barbed, venomous spine on the tail. Electric rays stun prey with shocks. The Amazon and the Mekong hold freshwater stingrays, including the giant freshwater stingray, the largest freshwater fish on record.

Sawfish and guitarfish in trouble

Rays grow slowly and have few young, so they are easily overfished. All five sawfish species, whose toothed snouts tangle easily in nets, are Endangered or Critically Endangered, and all of them have been listed on CITES Appendix I since 2013, which bans international commercial trade. Wedgefish and guitarfish are among the most threatened of all fish, caught for their fins. Several rays, including sawfish and some guitarfish, are protected in Indian waters.

Famous ray fish

Giant oceanic manta rayThe largest ray, spanning up to about 7 m

Still to be written: Reef manta ray, Largetooth sawfish, Smalltooth sawfish, Giant freshwater stingray, Spotted eagle ray, Southern stingray, Rhina ancylostomus.

Further reading

WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldGiant oceanic manta ray The world's largest ray, a massive filter-feeding predator of tropical oceans.Ray · Coasts and shelves · 1827

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.