Butterfly Rays

Wait a second..what are Butterfly Rays?

Butterfly Rays are a type of Stingray species! They are reffered to many names icluding, lesser butterfly ray, diamond skate, butterfly ray, short-tailed lesser butterfly ray, and skeete. The scientific name of the Butterfly Ray Gymnura Micrura. The maximum disc width of the species is reported to be 3 to 4 feet (0.9 to 1.2 m). Females of the northwestern Atlantic population pup when 25 inches (65 cm) wide, and probably at smaller lengths.The butterfly rays' diamond-shape is much wider than it is long, usually 3 to 4 feet wide, and its short tail lacks the ray’s usual spine. It can vary from light brown to gray to greenish, with lighter or darker spots, and can manipulate its shading to blend better into its background. It is tolerant of a variety of salt content, from brackish river mouths to highly saline lagoons, as long as there is a muddy or sandy bottom to hunt small fish and invertebrates. The small ray does not face any danger to humans, because it does not possess a spine. Teh butterfly ray feeds on fish and invertebrates, more specifically: bony fish, benthic copepods, crabs, shrimps, prawns, and bivalves.

Habitat

The butterfly Rayis found in the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico. In the western Atlantic it occurs from Maryland to Brazil. It occurs in the Gulf of Mexico and northern South America to Brazil. It also occurs in the eastern Atlantic off the coasts of Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo (to the mouth of Congo River).The butterfly ray prefers neritic waters of the continental shelf and is usually found on soft bottoms. This species is known to enter brackish estuaries or hyper-saline lagoons.

There is still so much more that can be learnt about Butterfly Rays! But Uh-Oh you reached the end of this page! I guess you'll just have to go explore other pages about different stingrays!