Researchers linked the radiation to the aftermath of the Cretaceous extinction event, which wiped out millions of creatures around the globe.
This fossil dated back 50 million years and was, you guessed it, a stingray fossil! Stingrays Have Been Around For A Long TimeĪ fossil was discovered by the Institute of Paleontology of the University of Vienna back in 2019.
#MANTA RAY VS STINGRAY SKIN#
The Japanese will often use stingray skin to make the underside layer of Japanese swords. Head over to our Manta Ray vs Stingray article to learn more!įUN FACT: The leathery skin of the Stingray has been used to make belts, boots, jackets, wallets, and exotic shoes. Manta rays do not have a barb or stinger on their tails, and they spend most of their lives in the open water instead of on the sandy ocean bottom. For example, a stingray's mouth can be found on the underside of its body, while a manta ray's mouth lies at the front of its body. While many people lump these two marine creatures into the same category, they are quite different. Most stingrays like swimming around in shallow water, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, as it's much warmer here than in the open ocean.įUN FACT: The main predators for stingrays include large fish, seals, sea lions, and sharks. One of the ocean's rarest species is the small-eye stingray, which has small eyes, white spots, and a wingspan greater than seven feet long! From freshwater stingrays in the world's lakes and freshwater rivers, to saltwater stingrays that you can often find at your local shoreline and around the world's oceans, many of these stingrays behave quite differently. There are more than 220 species of stingrays known to man, which live in different habitats across the globe.
Ancient Greek dentists used venom extracted from the spines of stingrays as an anesthetic for their patients.įact: Due to their barb, stingrays are one of the most dangerous sea creatures. Stingrays will often use their barbs to protect themselves from predators or stun small fish on the seafloor to eat.įUN FACT: While stingray venom can be painful, it isn't necessarily deadly unless the victim is stung in the abdomen or chest. Most stingrays will attack the feet or legs.
According to the National Capital Poison Control Center, somewhere between 1,500 to 2,000 stingray injuries occur each year. If untreated, this wound can lead to infection. Stingrays have long, venomous barbed tails, which can cause humans immense pain. You probably remember the sad day when Steve Irwin, famous Australian wildlife activist, was fatally pierced by the barbed tail of a stingray. However, most species of stingray are gray to dark brown on top with pale bellies underneath. Scientific research showed that stingrays in South Africa often moved at around 1.35 kilometers per hour.įUN FACT: Stingrays find prey with electro-sensors on their body, not their eyes.īecause there are many species of stingray, colors can change depending on the species you are looking at. While many stingrays look as if they're flying through the water, most species use undulation to navigate the ocean floor, similar to how a wave moves. Plus, both sharks and stingrays use Lorenzini sensors, which pick up the electrical signals from their prey.įUN FACT: The largest species of stingrays can be up to 6.5' feet or longer, weighing up to 800 pounds!
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