Cownose Ray Hannah West and Kayla Jones

Relates to water? Our topic relates to water because Cownose rays are a species that live in the water.

Why? We chose this topic because it's a very interesting species. Its also kind of cute.

Name Known as cownose rays because of their anatomy: their long, pointed pectoral fins separate into two lobes on their distinctive, broad head. The lobes and their wide-set eyes give them a cow-like look. They are also known as Golden Stingrays. Scientific name: Rhinoptera bonasus

Where do they live? They live in the open ocean, although they are sometimes found in inshore, brackish waters. Unlike other stingrays, golden rays rarely rest on the seabed (where unsuspecting humans can step on them) and prefer to be on the move, about 70 feet down. In deep water, they have to sleep by swimming slowly along or “hang-gliding” in a rising current (rays have no swim bladder, so they sink down if they stop swimming).

Migration Twice a year up to ten thousand golden stingrays gather near Yucatan Peninsula and migrate about 800 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. They swim to western Florida in the spring, and back to the Yucatan in fall. In the Atlantic Ocean, golden ray populations also migrate northward as far as New England in late spring and southward as far as southern Brazil in late fall.

Why do they migrate? No one yet knows why they migrate or what initiates the sociable gathering of so many thousands to make them swim together. Some guesses are the changes in water temperature. The migration hasn’t yet been linked to feeding or mating activity, either. but the southbound groups seem to be larger than the northbound

Feeding habits The cownose ray feeds upon clams, oysters, hard clams and other invertebrates. It uses two modified fins on its front side to produce suction, which allows it to draw food into its mouth, where it crushes its food with its dental plates. Cownose rays typically swim in groups, which allows them to use their synchronized wing flaps to stir up sediment and expose buried clams and oysters.clamsoystershard clams They also eat clams, snails, and crabs

Size Cownose rays grow rapidly, and male rays often reach about 35 inches (89 cm) in width and weigh 26 pounds. Females typically reach 28 inches (71 cm) in width and weigh 36 pounds.

Predators Although cownose rays can grow large enough to fend off most predators, they are still hunted by large sharks such as great hammerhead and bull sharks.

Protected According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the cownose ray is listed as "Near Threatened". The IUCN consists of a global union of state, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in partnership whose goal is to assess the conservation status of different species

Questions 1. What do they eat? oysters,clams, snails, and crabs 2. Who are their predators? large sharks such as great hammerheads and bull sharks. 3. Who protects them? The IUCN