Pprofile of the ray
Almost 500 species of ray live in our oceans and rivers. Their closest relatives are sharks. Just like sharks, rays do not have a bone skeleton. Their entire skeleton is made of cartilage, which makes it very flexible. (In humans, for example, the nose and ears are made of cartilage.) The cartilaginous skeleton makes it easier for rays to glide through the water. They look like a bird flapping its wings.
Did you know that rays are masters of camouflage? They can adapt their colouring to the sea floor and thus blend in with it. With their very flat bodies, they hide on the sea floor from predators. However, if they feel threatened, they can also strike with their tails. Some species therefore have additional poisonous spines on their tails.
