
Activity 6 A Constellation of Time Capsules. Activity 2 Engineer Your Own Sea Vessel. Wayfinding Using Earth's Natural Features. Looking for great manta ray memorabilia? Check out our Manta Ray Ring, Manta Ray Clasp, and Manta Ray Necklace which help support both the Watermen Project and Sea Legacy.The Moana Activity Packet includes the following resources and activities: Now that you know the many differences between manta rays and stingrays use it to amaze your friends! We hope you found this article helpful.įor more great content about ocean and marine life, please continue to read our blog! These stingrays can grow to more than 16 feet across and weigh 1,300 pounds!ĪMAZE YOUR FRIENDS WITH YOUR NEWFOUND KNOWLEDGE The giant freshwater stingray lives in the Greater Mekong. One stingray species reaches the size of the manta ray: the giant freshwater stingray. That makes them a threat anytime they are near. If stepped on, stingrays go into defense mode using their barbs for safety. Many stingrays could be hiding in the shallow water. That’s why it’s important to shuffle your feet on warm beaches. While manta rays may be bigger, stingrays are more aggressive. If proven, they’ll join dolphins and apes as animals with the ability to become self-aware. Scientists are currently studying the manta ray’s potential for self-awareness. They are among only three animals that could have self-awareness. Like elephants, manta rays have enormous brains. They are a bunch of playful and curious geniuses. But that’s not the only thing big about manta rays. They have a wingspan that can measure up to 29 feet long. The Giant Oceanic Manta Rays are the largest of the species. MANTA RAYS ARE MUCH LARGER AND SMARTER WHILE STINGRAYS ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE. They are responsible for more human casualties than any other Amazonian species. It grows to about eighteen inches across.ĭon’t let their small size fool you. The freshwater stingray lives in the Amazon. Although, only stingrays can also live in freshwater. Manta rays and stingrays live all across the ocean in warm regions. STINGRAYS LIVE IN BOTH MARINE AND FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS. Because of this, they can sense the electrical currents of their prey buried in the sand.Ĥ.
The most amazing feature of their sense is that it doesn’t involve using their eyes, ears, or nose. Stingrays use this current to find their prey. They are masters of picking up tiny electrical pulses in the water by the ocean floor.Įvery time a small animal like a shrimp or small fish moves, they give off a tiny electrical current. No small animals are safe from a stingray’s electromagnetic sense. Like sharks, stingrays use electricity to find their prey. With their mouth on the bottom of their body, they’re able to eat prey they come across on the ocean floor.ģ. They camouflage themselves from their prey. Stingrays hunt by covering themselves in the sand on the ocean floor. They’re known to eat clams, sea worms, small fish, shrimp, and squid.
Their graceful pectoral fins guide them as they glide through the water. Manta rays swim as if they’re flying through the sea. Despite their enormous size, they only feed on tiny organisms and not fish. With a mouth located underneath their body, m anta rays use their gill rakers to filter out zooplankton from the water. Although, manta rays have very few predators. Manta rays use their size and speed to escape harmful predators. You may be wondering how they protect themselves. That means that manta rays can’t sting you or anybody for that matter. Manta rays have long tails like stingrays. Instead, their barbs are a defense mechanism used when threatened by predators. It’s important to understand that stingrays don’t use their barbs to hunt. The venom in a stingray’s barb is lethal enough to kill humans. They may look alike to the casual observer, but they are very different.ĭepending on the type of stingray, the barb may have serrated edges and venom. The most significant difference between these animals is their tails. Read on to discover the differences between manta rays and stingrays. Nonetheless, they have many distinct differences. That is because they come from the same species. These two creatures look similar at first glance. Unfortunately, they often get mixed up with the stingray.