Torpedo, Electric Ray 257 



Torpedo, Electric Ray 

 Torpedo nobliana Bonaparte 



Color: Dark chocolate brown to purple-brown or almost 

 black on upper surface of body. White below. 

 Distribution: Both sides of the Atlantic and in the Medi- 

 terranean. In the western Atlantic, from Cuba to southern 

 Nova Scotia. 



Size: The largest specimen reported almost 6 feet long. 

 Relationship of length to weight varies greatly depending 

 on fatness of fish. Heaviest fish recorded has been esti- 

 mated at 200 pounds. 



General Information: Little is known about this ray. It 

 probably lives on the bottom partly buried in the sand or 

 mud. Chief food is fish. The electric organs, located in the 

 front third of the body, are able to discharge moderate 

 amounts of electricity by means of which it is believed fish 

 are stunned for more ready capture. While some specimens 

 of the Electric Ray have been taken near shore in only a 

 few feet of water, it is likely that they are most numerous 

 in waters of 60-360 feet or deeper. 

 Economic Importance: None. 



