![]() ![]() Softly cradle the stingray from the front.Stingrays use their stinger for protection when they feel threatened and not for attacking.Stingrays get their name from having a stinger that is venomous.We wore rash guards (our water shirts) for further SPF protection.Prevent losing your sunglasses by attaching retainers. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun and reflections off the surface of the ocean. ![]() You’ll take a boat out to just the inside of the barrier reef where you then carefully get off the boat and stand on the sandbar. The water at Stingray City Sandbar is waist deep.When in Cayman Islands, Stingray City and Stingray City Sandbar is a must visit!.Softly, we cradled the stingrays and gave it a smooch! We learnt to cradle them from the front like a baby, had the chance to have them swim up against our backs and we even got to smooch them! We’re glad to say that the handlers handled them respectfully and softly as well. You want to avoid accidentally stepping on a stingray which may provoke their defensive action.ĭuring our visit to the Stingray City Sandbar, we had the chance to learn how to respectfully interact with these prehistoric looking creatures. When in shallow water, don’t hop/jump around.Don’t swim too close over the top of stingrays.Remember to look carefully at the surface of the sand for evidence of a partially buried stingray before settling there. Divers and snorkelers sometimes lie or kneel on the sand to take pictures.Stingrays are not dangerous but you can accidentally find yourself in a dangerous situation if you do not take precautions when you are in stingray-land.įrom this experience, we’ve learnt some valuable safety rules: It is a freak accident and is a rare accident. Unfortunately, the stinger pierced Steve Irwin’s chest. The stingray felt threatened and does what it normally does – raises its barbed spine for protection. They use it for defense and rarely use it unless they are provoked or feel threatened.Īpparently, Steve Irwin either laid on top of the stingray, swam a few inches above where one was buried in the sand or swam right over the top of one. Pretty pointless right? Well, no actually as scientists now believe the male mantas may use their teeth when courting a mate.Stingrays do not use their stingers to attack prey. Photo credit: Now, we know that you can’t see them and that’s because they are located under several layers of skin in their lower jaws. They have 300 rows of teeth that they’ll never eat with! Photo credit: Well, people may not have thought they were the devil but due to the lobes attached to their head appearing similar to devil horns people used to refer to these angelic creatures as devil rays.ħ. People used to think they were the devil! The speculations- 1) impress potential mates, 2) evade predators, 3) control the amount of parasites attached to them, or 4) because they just like to.Ħ. Photo credit: Scientists are unsure of why exactly these rays love projecting themselves out of the sea but there are many thoughts on this subject. No problem! Mantas regularly visit cleaning stations at the reefs where certain species of fish eat parasites from the their bodies as they swim by. ![]() Photo credit: They want a clean bod without having to put in the muscle work. ![]() They love the car wash just as much as you! Photo credit: Most people think that the mother lays an egg and then the baby hatches, however, manta ray babies are alive and kicking when their moms give birth.Ĥ. Manta ray mamas will give birth to one or two pups every other year. On average a manta ray will consume about 60 pounds of small fish and plankton everyday simply by filter feeding!ģ. Photo credit: You see, all they have to do is open that enormous mouth they have and keep on swimming. They can eat without putting forward any effort. If we were rays we would be shooting for 25 too!Ģ. Photo credit: And thats because the largest manta rays can grow to have a wingspan of 25 feet and the oldest rays live to be 25 years old. If you asked a manta what its favorite number, it would probably say 25. Below are 7 manta facts that you probably never knew!ġ. Photo credit: Welcome to the wonderful world of manta rays. ![]()
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