What happens if you touch an electric ray?

They are harmless unless touched or stepped on and are of negligible commercial interest. Electric rays range in length from under 30 cm (1 foot) to about 2 m (6 feet). They are soft and smooth-skinned, with a circular or nearly circular body disk formed by the head and pectoral fins.

Is electric ray a true fish?

The electric rays are a group of rays, flattened cartilaginous fish with enlarged pectoral fins, composing the order Torpediniformes /tɔːrˈpɛdɪnɪfɔːrmiːz/. They are known for being capable of producing an electric discharge, ranging from 8 to 220 volts, depending on species, used to stun prey and for defense.

What is the meaning of electric ray?

Definition of electric ray : any of various round-bodied short-tailed rays (family Torpedinidae) of warm seas with a pair of electric organs.

How do electric stingrays use electricity?

Electric Stingrays have an ability where they can create an electric discharge for defense. The voltage ranges from specie to specie, but the range is anywhere from 8 volts up to 220 volts. The electric discharge is used in order to stun their prey and can also be used for defense.

What do electric rays eat?

Depending on the species, electric rays may eat fishes, worms, and crustaceans. Adult Atlantic rays consume eels, flounders, and small sharks.

What does the Pacific electric ray eat?

This species of ray have been found up to 90 lbs. (4 kg) in weight. The average life span for this ray is at least 16 years and possibly up to 24 years. Pacific electric rays feed mainly on fish, including halibut, mackerel, flatfish, kelp bass, anchovies, hake, and herring.

Is a ray a shark?

Rays are distinguished from sharks by a flattened, disklike body, with the five gill openings and the mouth generally located on the underside. Rays are further distinguished from sharks by their greatly enlarged, winglike pectoral fins, which extend forward along the sides of the head above the gill openings.

When was the electric ray discovered?

The Pacific electric ray is one of 14 described species of electric rays, but is the only species limited to the west coast of the US. The species was first described as Torpedo californica by Ayres in 1855, but was later placed in the genus Tetronarce by Gill in 1861.

What is the scientific name of electric ray?

TorpediniformesElectric ray / Scientific name

Are electric rays endangered?

Not extinctElectric ray / Extinction status

How long do electric rays live?

Can electric rays hurt you?

Muscle tissues in two kidney-shaped glands on either side of a ray’s head can produce currents of up to 45 volts — an electrical shock strong enough to knock down an adult. These glands weigh one-sixth of the ray’s total weight. Even though electric rays can be aggressive, there’s no record of them harming humans.

Why is the Pacific Electric Ray used as a model organism?

The Pacific electric ray and its relatives are used as model organisms for biomedical research, because their electric organs contain an abundance of important nervous system proteins such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and acetylcholinesterase.

How does the Pacific Electric Ray reproduce?

Pacific electric ray. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous, meaning that the embryos are initially nourished by yolk, later supplemented by histotroph (“uterine milk”) produced by the mother. Females bear litters of 17–20 pups, probably once every other year. Care should be exercised around the Pacific electric ray,…

Are electric rays in danger in the Pacific?

Pacific electric rays aren’t in danger. Small commercial fisheries catch electric rays for biological and medical researchers, and some are caught by accident in trawls and gill nets. There’s no sport fishery for electric rays, perhaps because handling them can be painful! Electric rays give birth to pups after eggs hatch in the female’s uterus.

How deep does the Pacific Electric Ray go?

Off California, the Pacific electric ray is generally encountered at a depth of 3–30 m (10–100 ft), while off Baja California it is typically observed at a depth of 100–200 m (330–660 ft). It has been reported from as deep as 425 m (1,394 ft). This species prefers temperatures of 10–13 °C (50–55 °F).