Eagle ray

Eagle ray
Temporal range: 100.5–0 Ma Late Cretaceous to Recent[1]
Bull ray (Aetomylaeus bovinus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Batoidea
Order: Myliobatiformes
Suborder: Myliobatoidei
Superfamily: Dasyatoidea
Family: Myliobatidae
Bonaparte, 1838
Genera

The eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fishes in the family Myliobatidae, consisting mostly of large species living in the open ocean rather than on the sea bottom.

Eagle rays feed on mollusks and crustaceans, crushing their shells with their flattened teeth. They are excellent swimmers and are able to breach the water up to several metres above the surface. Compared with other rays, they have long tails, and well-defined, rhomboidal bodies. They are ovoviviparous, giving birth to up to six young at a time. They range from 0.48 to 5.1 m (1.6 to 16.7 ft) in length and 7 m (23 ft) in wingspan.[1]

  1. ^ a b Froese, R.; D., Pauly. "FAMILY Details for Myliobatidae - Eagle and manta rays". FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. Retrieved 15 August 2005.