RAYS 77 



TRUE EAGLE RAYS. 



(Genus Myliobatis.) Fig. 29 B. 



The fleshy pad at the front end of the head forms a single 

 bluntly pointed or rounded lobe. There is a row of broad 

 teeth in the centre of each jaw, with 3 rows of narrow teeth 

 on either side (Fig. 59). The eyes are on the sides of the 

 head, with the spiracles close behind them. The skin is 

 either entirely smooth or with some tubercles on the upper 

 surface. The coloration is variable, but is usually more or 

 less uniformly grey, brown or black in full-grown individuals ; 

 the young may be variegated with paler or darker, and may 

 have blue spots and stripes ; sometimes the tail is banded. 



The larger species grow to a !ength of about 15 feet (with 

 the tail), and attain to a weight of 800 lb. 



There are about 12 species of True Eagle Rays, all from 

 warm seas. The Common Eagle Ray (M. aquila), from the 

 Mediterranean and the adjacent parts of the Atlantic, is 

 an occasional visitor to British waters. Other well-known 

 species include the American Eagle Ray (M. freminvillei) , 

 which ranges on the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Brazil ; 

 the Calif ornian Sting Ray or Bat-fish (M. calif ornicus) , very 

 common on the mud flats of California ; the Oriental Eagle 

 Ray (M. nienhofi), from the Indian Ocean and the East Indies ; 

 and the Japanese Kite Ray or Flying Ray (M. tobijei). 



In spite of their apparently clumsy build, the Eagle Rays 

 are graceful and fairly rapid swimmers. On occasions they 

 will break the surface of the sea and skim for a short distance 

 through the air. When captured, they are unpleasant 

 customers to handle, lashing about in all directions with the 

 flexible tail and trying to bring the saw-edged spine into 

 action. As might be expected from the nature of the teeth, 

 these rays feed almost exclusively upon shellfish, and they are 

 particularly destructive to clams and oysters. 



The Eagle Rays are viviparous, and their breeding habits 

 are more or less the same as those of the Sting Rays. Captured 

 individuals lying in the bottom of a boat have been known to 

 give premature birth to 6 or more young. Dr. Coles, who 



