Finding Food Like all living things, rays are part of a food chain. T ey have to look for food and keep from becoming food. T at’s why rays have to look out for hungry predators, such as sharks. A ray’s eyes are on top of its body. It scans


the water above looking for carnivores diving down to eat it. Rays are predators. T eir mouths are full of


teeth the size of pinheads. Rows of these tiny teeth crush and grind prey. A ray uses several senses to find food.


It uses its senses of touch and smell. It also uses a sense humans don’t have. It can sense electric signals from other animals. Together, these senses help rays hunt prey. Take the Australian butterfl y ray. As it


swims, it gently stirs the sandy seafl oor. Sometimes the shiſt ing sands uncover a small fish or snail hiding in the sand. T e ray then scoops up a meal. T e spotted eagle ray plows the ocean fl oor


with its snout and f ins. As it moves along, it digs up oysters, clams, and snails. T e ray quickly snaps them up. Both the spotted eagle ray and the Australian


butterfl y ray are bottom feeders. T ey find their prey on the seafl oor.


Manta Mealtime Not all rays are bottom feeders. Some, like the manta, are filter feeders. Mantas eat plankton. T ese are microscopic plants and animals. When a manta comes upon plankton, it swims toward them. As it gets closer, the manta starts to roll. It fl ips over, end over end, in the middle of the plankton. As it spins, the manta uses fl aps on the side


of its head to scoop plankton and water toward its mouth. T e manta then f ilters the water through its gills. T e water gushes out. T e plankton stays in.


Shocking Tales Some rays have unique ways to hunt. A torpedo ray is a slow swimmer. Yet it has a special ability. It electrocutes its prey. Gliding above a fish, the ray stuns it with a jolt of electricity. T e ray then gobbles up its shocked prey. A sawf ish has a fl at, sword-like blade with


teeth along both edges. A sawfish can use its saw as a shovel. It swims along the ocean fl oor, digging up food. It also uses its saw to slash prey. It swims


into a school of fish, shaking its head from side to side. As it swims, it slashes nearby fish. It then eats the pieces that fall to the ocean fl oor.


This blue-spotted stingray lifts its poisonous tail to drive off a predator.


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