SNORKEL WITH AN EAGLE RAY

Aloha! Jackie and I were lucky enough to have this awesome eagle ray for a snorkeling partner this morning! Here's what our book says about the eagle ray. Spotted Eagle Ray...Eagle rays are "flyers" with pointed triangular wings. Although they feed on the bottom, they do rest there but always soar back into the blue. All are deep-bodied animals with a prominent head which protrudes well forward of the wings. The gill slits and eyes are on the side of the head, unlike those of other rays. A long slender tail often greatly exceeds the length of the body. Most eagle rays have one or more venomous spines on the tail, but snorkelers and divers are unlikely to get close enough to be wounded. Out of about 10 Indo-Pacific eagle ray species, one is in our area. Some authorities also include manta rays, devil rays and cownose rays in the family Myliobatidae. These magnificent rays can attain 6 ft. or more from wingtip to wingtip. Their back, light brown, gray or black, is beautifully spotted with white. The underside is mostly white, often with a faint mazelike pattern under the wings. The long slender tail can equal three times the width of the body (if not broken or bitten off), and bears 1-5 venomous spines at the base. Under the large protruding head is a wide fleshy lobe somewhat resembling a "duck bill" which helps the ray dig for molluscs and other organisms. When not foraging, Spotted Eagle Rays swim well off the bottom, sometimes in small groups. One of the most beautiful of all underwater sights is a formation of Spotted Eagle Rays flying together in synchrony. In some parts of the world schools of 50 or more have been reported, but such behavior is certainly not common in Hawaiian waters. Occasionally Spotted Eagle Rays will leap from the sea, either dolphin style or by cartwheeling with wings outspread. Leaping by pregnant females is said to facilitate the birth of young. Spotted eagle Rays occur in warm seas around the world and have long been considered a single species. Recent research, however, reveals that the eastern Pacific and Indian ocean populations host different species of tape worms in their gut. Spot patterns and body proportions also differ between various geographic populations. All this suggests that what we now call Aetobatus narinari is actually a complex of at least four similar species, but the the details have yet to be sorted out. The Hawaiian word hihimanu means "lavish, magnificent, elegant." In ancient times these powerful animals, which weigh up to 500 lbs. , were forbidden to women as food. This information is from "Hawaii's Fishes...A Guide for Snorkelers and Divers" by John P. Hoover.