What do bat rays look like, where they live, what they eat, how long they live, predators, adaptations, conservation status, pictures, and more. The image above is a range map of the Bat Ray with the relative probabilities of occurrence shown via a color scale. [13] The Bat Ray can be found in both tropical and temperate oceans from central Oregon in the USA to Mexico in the Gulf of California.
[14][15] The bat ray (Myliobatis californica) [3][4][5] is found in muddy or sandy sloughs, estuaries and bays, kelp beds and rocky. Bat ray. Photo courtesy National Marine Fisheries Service Myliobatis californica The bat ray is named for the wide, angular shape of its pectoral disc, with trailing 'wing' tips and dark brown to black coloring on top.
It has a whip-like tail twice the length of its body, with a venomous spine at the base, and distinctly protruding head and large eyes. It prefers living in shallow sandy or. Rays are opportunistic feeders and will eat a variety of prey, including crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.
Bat Ray Characteristics Bat rays are a type of cartilaginous fish that belong to the Myliobatidae family. They are typically found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Alaska to Mexico. The bat ray's triangular pectoral fins are often called wings and compared to those of a bat, hence the common name.
These rays swim gracefully by flapping their pectoral fins like birds. The fins are also used to hunt for food. The rays flap their pectoral fins in the sand to expose buried prey and then use their lobe.
The Bat Ray is usually confused with the Manta Ray but lacks the arm-like cephalic fins present on either side of the Manta Ray's head. They can also be confused with the Golden Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera steindachneri (red-brown color; large square head) and the Longnose Eagle Ray, Myliobatis longirostris (red-brown color; narrow pointed head. Bat rays, Myliobatis californica (Gill, 1865), are members of the eagle rays or Myliobatidae family, and are light brown to black rays with white bellies.
They grow up to 1.2-1.85 m in length and weigh up to 90 kg. Their wing span can reach up to 1.85 m from tip to tip. Males are typically smaller than females (sexually dimorphic).
Bat rays are slate grey in colour, with a white underside. Bay rays are a minor target of recreational fisheries, primarily taken by hook and line. Skates and rays are not specifically sought by commercial fishermen, but are taken incidentally, primarily by bottom trawlers in central and northern California waters.
Of the species identified in the commercial catch the most common are the shovelnose guitarfish (Rhinobatos productus), bat ray, big skate. Bat rays have a raised head and a dorsal fin at the base of a long whip.