Nature
PUBLISHED
Part of me has always wondered how stingrays manage to eat - with their oddly shaped bodies, eyes located dorsally and mouth right underneath the body – how do they manage to find their prey, let alone capture it? In spite of all my musings, I was unprepared to see a stingray hunt and seemingly inhale a spider crab.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Almost as if abducted by an alien, the ray sits directly above its prey and seems to suck it up, almost like you’d slurp up a mouthful of pasta.
National Geographic explains that due to the location of its eyes, it’s commonly believed by scientists that sight doesn’t play a big role in hunting for stingrays– instead relying on its electrical sensors around the mouth, called ampullae of Lorenzini. The organs sense the natural electrical charges of prey, allowing the ray to locate and consume it without having to actually see it. You may also be surprised to find out that many rays have strong jaw teeth, which allows them to crush mollusks like crabs, clams and oysters.
