Stingrays

We are learning to describe the characteristics and physical features  of a specie.       

We will find out  how it -                                       moves

respires

senses

grows

reproduces

excretes

nourishes

By: Kaydence

Yr.6

Stingrays. What do you think when somebody says the word stingray? Do you think of a really vicious sea creature that stings you to death? Or do you think of a flat harmless sea creature that has a stinger that they can use when they suddenly turn against you? Well Stingrays are related to the shark family but otherwise these creatures can be harmless.

Stingrays are flat sea creatures with a long tail and a barb on the end of it. Usually there can be more than one barb on the tail, which the stingrays use for self defence. The stingrays eyes are on the top of it’s head and the nostril and mouth on the bottom. Although their eyes are on the top of their heads, they don’t use their eyes to hunt down and find their food. They use their sense of smell all the time. Stingrays smell for their food and they eat snails, shrimp, clams, small fish and other small creatures around the ocean.

Stingrays do NOT sting unless you stand on them. So if you ever stand on a stingray you better run! A stingray can live up to 15-25 years of age and 16.5 feet which is 5 metres long and can weigh up to 1,320 pounds which is 600KG! Did you know that stingrays don’t have bones but their skeleton is made out of cartilage, a flexible firm kind of tissue that is white, just like their relative, the shark.

The stingray swims almost like a bird, sometimes it flaps its side using them like wings which makes them glide through the water. Or sometimes they move in a swaying kind of ways which allows them to push their way through the water. Stingrays can be useful as well, their rough, tough skin can be used to make shoes, wallets, boots, belts and more. In Japan they use the skin to make an underlayer for their Japanese swords, which is perfect because it holds the sword in place so it doesn’t slip away. In other parts of the world such as Malaysia and Singapore, they eat stingray. They grill it and mix it with special sauces.

Are stingrays harmless l? Or are they just another type of sea creature that gets misjudged? I think that they are perfectly good sea creatures, just don’t step on them!

References:

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=what%20is%20cartilage&es_th=1

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/stingray.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/stingray/

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+long+can+stingrays+grow%3F&rlz=1CAACAG_enNZ586NZ588&oq=how+long+can+stingrays+grow%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57.7608j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

Baby stingray

By: Anastazia

Yr. 5

Baby stingrays are very little and cute. These are questions that I want  to find out about them.

* Where do they live?

* How do they move?

* What do they do most of their time?

* What do they eat?

* What do they like to do?

* What are the special features of a baby stingray?

Baby stingrays live in tropical oceans, and subtropical areas around the world. They like to stay in places where it is warm and shallow water. To move, they swim and  flip their flippers up and down. Some people say that stingrays including baby ones  “fly” through the water. Most of their time, they hide on the ocean floor. There are 60 differents species of stingrays and some of them are endangered. Baby stingrays eat shrimps they find in the water.

The special features of a stingray are that they have a poisonous barb on their tails that they use for self defense. Baby stingrays like to hide in their own time. They like to hide in places where they can camouflage so that no one can see them.

Image rescource: http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/stingray_facts/41/

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=baby+stingray&safe=strict&rlz=1CAACAG_enNZ604NZ604&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIyaCm35vSyAIVxJ2UCh0ijAxS&biw=1366&bih=633#imgrc=HTziSOogeIBs1M%3A