NZ Eagle Rays by Finn Hall

Hi guys, here is some stuff Mum helped me find on eagle rays for you. We found some photos on google and video too.

Here is a photo of an eagle ray off our old wharf at Mana Island.

The New Zealand eagle ray is found in bays, estuaries, and near rocky reefs around New Zealand to depths of 160 m. Its length is up to 150 cm.

Eagle rays have pointed pectoral fins, and they are wider than they are long. They move by flapping their fins, resembling birds in flight. They have plate-like teeth with which to crush their prey. The poisonous spine on the tail can cause a painful wound, but this is eased by applying heat, which destroys the poison.

Stingrays have a unique body design, as they fly like birds in the sky. Stingrays do not have float bladders, so they are not easy to spot by the sonar of their arch enemy, the orca. They are also good at burrowing themselves underneath the sand, with only a flick of their wings. Even though they have bad eyesight, stingrays are reasonably intelligent, as they can grow quite old.

Here is a video we found on youtube of an Eagle ray filmed in Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrQ5RmP4dJY

I hope you can come and visit me to see them here.
Bye Finn.