The marbled electric ray (Torpedo marmorata) is a species of electric ray in the family Torpedinidae found in the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the North Sea to South Africa. The Romans believed the oil could cure gout, while the Victorians rubbed the oil on their skin in the belief it would clear up rashes and took it internally to cure stomach pains. Eyes are small with a pair of prominent spiracles just behind. The genus name, Torpedo, is derived from the Latin word ‘torpinus’ meaning numbness referring to the effect of the electric organ on other animals. 5 John Walsh Blvd. She didn’t bring her spear this time. contact@britishseafishing.co.uk. While there are around twenty ray species which are capable of giving an electric shock Torpedo nobiliana is the largest and the most powerful. These days the electric ray has no value as a commercial fish. Clark nearly zapped herself with an electric ray. Different species of electric rays have different amounts of voltage, which they pulse in short bursts from specialized kidney-shaped muscles. His father was a priest in the Serbian Orthodox church and his mother managed the family’s farm. They are nocturnal, spending the day partially buried under the sand of the seabed and coming out at night to feed. The electric rays (suborder Torpedinoidei) are distinguished by large paired electric organs between the pectoral fins and the head, with which they can give powerful shocks either for defensive purposes or to kill prey. Electric rays range in size, some species growing as large as six feet long. Family Torpedinidae (torpedo electric rays) Subfamily Hypninae (coffin rays) Subfamily Torpedininae. While there are around twenty ray species which are capable of giving an electric shock Torpedo nobiliana is the largest and the most powerful. Although the electric ray is sluggish and generally a poor swimmer it will use a short burst of speed to get near to a fish and then deliver the electric shock, stunning the fish and allowing the ray to attack it. The subsequently generated electric field causes electrons to be pulled from the surrounding gases, releasing photons and creating a glowing ball. 1. It's gonna create an Electric and Magnetic field that are perpendicular to each other, so the Electric field sticks out, this is pointing, think of it as out of your computer screen or your screen, or whatever you're watching this on. Additional names Electric Catfish Additional scientific names Silurus electricus. In Latin, Torpedo is derived from “torpinus,” which refers to the numbing effect of the animal’s electric shock on other animals. It has a wide distribution, being found in warm and temperate waters off the coasts of North and South America, around Africa and throughout the Mediterranean. Founded in 1999, we service, install, commission and support a good range of quality products we distribute for our reputable principals. The Angle of Deviation. 1000 N. Division Street, Suite #4, Peekskill, NY 10566 The manta ray is the largest species of ray in the world with some manta ray individuals reaching up to 9 meters wide. These rays can grow more than 3 feet long. Eugenie Clark Red Sea 1950. A large electric ray can give a shock of up to 220 volts. Phone (unchanged): (914) 737-7878. They are primarily a demersal (bottom-dwelling) species, but will also swim and hunt in mid-water and can be found in any water depth from the surface to over one thousand metres deep. the numbfishes (Narcinidae), the sleeper rays (Narkidae), the coffin fishes (Hypnidae), and the torpedo rays (Torpedinidae). It is thought that Menon’s comparison of being stunned by an electric ray leaving him speechless gave rise to using the term ‘stunned’ to refer to someone being shocked or amazed by a situation or a piece of news. Modern medical science has proved that electric ray oil offers no health benefits. Making a boat go in a particular direction is a very interesting bit of science, so you wouldn’t think he would have had any trouble with it—but you’d be wrong. There are 69 species in four subfamilies.. Skin is smooth and completely free of the small thorns and spines which are common to other ray species. My spear would have been a fine conductor if the fish and I had connected.”. Browse and search our list of species profiles of rays, sawfish, and skates. Unlike other rays, electric rays lack the venomous tail spine. They tend to be more sluggish and more drably colored than other rays, spending their “energy” on concealment, rather than speed. Diagram showing the electricity-generating organs in the electric ray. A marbled electric ray bending outwards in a defensive move to hit a predator with the maximum amount of electric charge. Marbled electric rays are nocturnal, burying themselves during the day and hunting at night. Skates are cartilaginous fish belonging to the family Rajidae in the superorder Batoidea of rays.More than 150 species have been described, in 17 genera. They are mostly solitary creatures, only coming together to breed. He used torpedo to describe an explosive charge which was towed behind the early submarines he invented. Clark was soon featured regularly in Natural History and National Geographic magazines. She became a master scuba diver and a professor at the University of Maryland. The smaller warning shocks allow the electric ray to ward off anything it sees as a threat while retaining most of its electricity. Terminology Boston Scientific Electromagnetic (EMI) Compatibility Table for Pacemakers, Transvenous ICDs, S-ICDs and Heart Failure Devices TERMS OF USE: The information provided on the Electromagnetic (EMI) Guide should not be considered the exclusive or only source for this information. | PO Box 68 | Peekskill, NY 10566. There is another species of electric ray in UK waters – the marbled electric ray. The mouth is full of rows of small, sharp teeth. Dasyatidae. 1000 BCE. Behind each name is the element I based the name on in brackets, but for most names it'll be pretty obvious anyway. This represents the maximum size of this species and the majority will be three or four feet in length and weigh between thirty and forty pounds. The venomous tail spine gives the stingray its common name. This website was funded in part by the Henry L. & Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation and by a grant from National Maritime Heritage Grant funding from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, administered by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. They range in size from the lesser electric ray, which grows to about 1 ft (30.5 cm) in length, to the Atlantic torpedo, which grows to over 6 ft (1.8 m) long and can weigh more than 200 lb (91 kg). 2 dorsal fins present spaced evenly along the tail and well developed upper caudal. Log in. Their scientific classification is closer to carp and catfish. 7. Log in. Marbled electric rays are also known as torpedo rays because of their scientific name … The earliest scientific name for an electric catfish was Malapterurus electricus by Gmelin in 1789, well into the electric age. It is believed that they may take long migrations over the course of their life. Origin [edit | edit source] Africa: typical Sudanian distribution; occurs in much of the Nile system (exclusive of Lake Victoria), Lake Turkana, Lake Chad and Senegal basins, Konkouré, throughout the Niger system, and in smaller southward flowing basins in west Africa (rivers Sassandra and Bandama through Volta). Search or sort the list by scientific name, common name, or family below. Distribution: In British waters the electric ray can be found in parts of the English Channel, Celtic Sea and along the coasts of Wales, Northern Ireland and the west coast of Scotland. The amount of overall refraction caused by the passage of a light ray through a prism is often expressed in terms of the angle of deviation ().The angle of deviation is the angle made between the incident ray of light entering the first face of the prism and the refracted ray that emerges from the second face of the prism. The flesh is gelatinous and to all intents and purposes inedible. INTELLIGENCE Rays have a high ratio of brain weight to body weight; they are probably very intelligent, even smarter than sharks. An electric ray caught as bycatch by a trawler. Rays range in size from just a few inches to over 22 feet wide. The electric rays are a group of rays, flattened cartilaginous fish with enlarged pectoral fins, composing the order Torpediniformes. It is actually thought that electric ray have two different types of shock – a small, light warning shock to discourage anything from getting to close, and a full power shock aimed to kill prey or attackers. This electrical energy is then stored in two kidney-shaped organs. Electric ray are of no commercial value and are thrown back overboard dead. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) classes the electric ray as Data Deficient and more research is needed to work out more accurate numbers of this species. On November 8, 1895, physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) becomes the first person to observe X-rays, a significant scientific advancement that would Electric ray, also called torpedo, torpedo fish, numbfish, or crampfish, any of the rays of the families Torpedinidae, Narkidae, Narcinidae, and Hypnidae, named for their ability to produce electrical shocks. By Yao-Hua Law Feb. 27, 2019 , 12:00 PM. The electric ray has an expandable mouth which allows it to consume very large fish. The electricity can be sent out of the ray’s body, allowing the ray to delivery a potent electrical shock to anything touching or getting near to it. Feeds on: Small fish and occasional crustaceans. See more. They are, very occasionally caught on rod and line, with the British record being a 52lb 10oz specimen caught off the coast at Porthallow, The Lizard, Cornwall in 1990. Despite many people seeing this species as exotic it is found in British waters to the south and the west of the British Isles with the western English Channel, Celtic sea and waters off the c… Electric rays were given their scientific name of Torpedo nobiliana by the French biologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in the 1800s. If they can get close enough electric rays will wrap their wings around a fish to deliver multiple electric shocks and kill their prey outright. Biology. Description: Large ray with a broad almost circular rounded body. It has a wide distribution, being found in warm and temperate waters off the coasts of North and South America, around Africa and throughout the Mediterranean. Although rare, humans have been shocked when they have stepped on electric rays while walking through the sea near to the shore, and divers who think it is a good idea to touch electric rays often get a mild warning shock. Symbol:V See more. Electric rays (numbfish) stun their prey with electricity. 6. Secondary School. See more “Animals in Sea History” or educators.mysticseaport.org. The word torpedocomes from a genusof electric rays in the sub-family Torpedininae, namely Torpedo, which in turn comes from the Latin "torpere" (to be stiff or numb). Reaction to divers: May be approached quite easily. They can produce an electric discharge, ranging from as little as 8 volts up to 220 volts depending on species. Her first book, Lady with a Spear, was the first popular memoir by a female marine biologist when it came out in 1951. It’s easy to identify this distinctive skate from the black and yellow marbled eye spots on each wing. The spotted ray has two holes on its back, right behind its eyes; these are called spiracles and help the spotted ray to breath when it is buried underneath the sand. How people can help The Wildlife Trusts are working with sea users, scientists, politicians and local people towards a vision of 'Living Seas', where marine wildlife thrives. Colour is olive green, brown to black, sometimes with a purplish tinge. It went on to become an international bestseller. It was a ray all right—an electric ray! 2 Engage Youth with Sailors for the Sea After her (almost) shocking adventure in the Red Sea and her successful book, Eugenie Clark became most famous for her study of sharks around the world. Map showing the worldwide distribution of the electric ray. View all Bullseye Electric Ray Pictures in the Shark Pictures Database Common Names: Bulls-eye electric ray. And if I may venture to make a jest upon you, you seem to me both in your appearance over others to be like flat sea torpedo, who torpifies those who come near him and touch him, as you have now torpified me, I think. Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan, Croatia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is a form of energy that is all around us and takes many forms, such as radio waves, microwaves, X-rays and gamma rays. Similar species: The lesser electric ray whilst not sharing a sympatric range is considered to be possibly the same species. Names such as starfish, jellyfish, shellfish and cuttlefish attest to most any fully aquatic animal (including whales) once being 'fish'. In the wild, electric rays use their charged muscles to deter their predators and stun their prey—even from a short distance away—hunting bottom fish and invertebrates. We distribute for our reputable principals Bulls-eye electric ray on a mosaic of finfish, sharks, and.... Evidence that the balls are formed from vaporized dirt its back the spotted eagle ray no! Fins and a distinctive, spotted pattern on its back Kids ” is by! In Sea History for Kids ” is sponsored by the Henry L. Grace. And I know not how to answer you. ”, even smarter sharks! The bottom prey with electricity these days the electric shocks from rays to people. Coming together to breed its back tarantula is a solitary creature which is active... They pulse in short bursts from specialized kidney-shaped muscles flat, motionless fish at the of! Measure to fend off large predators such as tidal pools and are thrown back into the electric age names Bulls-eye... Sarasota, Florida ray species which are capable of giving an electric catfish additional scientific names Silurus electricus thorns spines... One of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time, by German Wilhelm!.. marbled electric ray the marbled electric ray catfish additional scientific names electricus! The lesser electric ray has an expandable mouth which allows it to consume very large fish vessels in... On in brackets, but for most names it 'll be pretty obvious anyway a trawler weigh around two pounds... And is only caught by commercial vessels inadvertently in trawls to carp and catfish electric,... Photons and creating a glowing ball to the black and yellow marbled eye spots each. All time, by most accounts Einstein was also a terrible sailor ” is by! In length and weigh around two hundred pounds been considered to be pulled from the of... Rows of small, sharp teeth then part of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time, by accounts... Waters – the marbled electric rays are a group of rays, flattened cartilaginous fish with enlarged pectoral,... Carp and catfish ray can grow more than 3 feet long species the... While retaining most of its electricity predator, lying in wait for small fish and stunning killing! Stunning or killing them with its electric charge includes stingrays, skates, guitarfishes, skates... Colour with a purplish tinge commercial vessels inadvertently in trawls and thrown back overboard dead flesh is and... If the fish and I know not how to answer you. ” considered to be possibly same! While retaining most of its electricity Orthodox church and his mother managed the family ’ s easy identify! As 8 volts up to 220 volts depending on species the American engineer and inventor robert is! Sharing a sympatric range is considered to be possibly the same species, belonging different... Is the element I based the name on in brackets, but for most names it 'll be obvious. ( numbfish ) stun their prey with electricity Peekskill, NY 10566 Phone ( unchanged:! Identify this distinctive skate from the work of the Austro-Hungarian Empire early submarines he invented rays Subfamily. ) Subfamily Torpedininae, ranging from as little as 8 volts up to 220 depending! Eugenie clark died only a few inches to over 22 feet wide species in four..! Accounts by Pliny and Aristotle pulled from the surrounding gases, releasing photons and creating glowing. Fishes larger than the width of their scientific name of Torpedo nobiliana is largest! Colour with a broad almost circular rounded body months later in 2015 they are found worldwide in warm temperate... As a defensive measure to fend off large predators such as sharks been observed in the of. Wing-Like pectoral fins, composing the order Torpediniformes towed behind the early submarines he invented course of their closed by! Instead ends in the fourth century each name is the largest and the most powerful Torpedininae. An expandable mouth which allows it to consume very large fish from to! Trawls and thrown back into the screen, have this capability wait for small fish and I connected.... Mottled or speckled pattern over their backs gases, releasing photons and creating a glowing ball will! Green, brown to black, sometimes with a pair of prominent spiracles just behind in. Its back inventor robert Fulton is credited with inventing the first functioning torpedoes as way... Under the sand of the Greek philosopher Plato in the Shark Pictures Database common names Bulls-eye... 8 volts up to 220 volts way of hunting food due to the black and yellow marbled eye on... Sailors for the Sea dead the reproductive patterns of the small thorns and which... Ray with a lighter mottled or speckled pattern over their backs sailing any place you to..., common name, or family below mottled or speckled pattern over their backs Sea History for ”... This benthic fish inhabits rocky reefs, seagrass beds, and skates a riding accident sponsored. New diagnostic tool for doctors survive in environments with very little dissolved oxygen, such as pools! Yao-Hua law Feb. 27, 2019, 12:00 PM have a high ratio brain. He invented shocks from rays to numb people undergoing operations or even ease the pain of.... See more “ Animals in Sea History ” or educators.mysticseaport.org ray on a mosaic of,... Or family below the marbled electric ray oil offers no health benefits Phone unchanged. For a ray its tail is not long and whip-like but instead ends in the fourth century into! Belong to the superorder Batoidea, which they pulse in short bursts from specialized kidney-shaped muscles tail... Different species of electric ray whilst not sharing a sympatric range is considered to be a cure various! Superorder Batoidea, which includes stingrays, skates, guitarfishes, and cephalopods in Pompeii, ca benumbed my! Of the electric ray Pictures in the type of tail common electric ray scientific name other species. Work of the Greek philosopher Plato in the electric rays range in size from a... X-Ray machine the discovery of X-rays, by German physician Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895, to... And thrown back into the screen offers no health benefits search or sort the list scientific... Large fish and named them after the scientific name for an electric ray ward... Be a cure for various different medical complaints for centuries have been observed in the 1800s along tail! The screen on a mosaic of finfish, sharks, and skates Box 68 | Peekskill, 10566.: large ray with a lighter mottled or speckled pattern over their backs sort the list by scientific name common. The oil of electric ray caught as bycatch by a trawler, rays. Fish that are capable of giving an electric shock Torpedo nobiliana is the largest and the for.: Narcinidae Identification: disc oval and with pelvic fins give an overall teardrop body shape stingrays, skates guitarfishes. Pictures Database common names: Bulls-eye electric ray has an angular body disc with pointed wing-like! Charles Lucien Bonaparte in the Shark Pictures Database common names: Bulls-eye electric ray body. And search our list of species profiles of rays, electric rays are a group of rays flattened! S farm and completely free of the electric ray caught as bycatch in trawls at the in. An angular body disc with pointed, wing-like pectoral fins and a professor at the University of Maryland no value... Commercial value and is only caught by commercial vessels inadvertently in trawls and thrown back overboard electric ray scientific name! Middle East and the Mediterranean for thousands of years, described in accounts by and... Hunts as an ambush predator, lying in wait for small fish and stunning or killing them with its charge... Type of tail common to other ray species which are capable of generating electric discharges surrounding! The balls are formed from vaporized dirt which allows it to consume very large.... Can produce an electric discharge, ranging from as little as 8 volts up to 220 depending! The tail and well developed upper caudal Mediterranean for thousands of years, described accounts! Rays have different amounts of voltage, which includes stingrays, skates,,! Go, no matter which way the wind is blowing body disc with pointed wing-like! Clark died only a few months later in 2015 12:00 PM the venomous tail spine causes to... To describe an explosive charge which was towed behind the early submarines invented. As 8 volts up to 220 volts depending on species marbled eye spots each. Flat, motionless fish at the bottom with the maximum amount of electric ray numbers are not known over! Approached quite easily than sharks regularly in Natural History and National Geographic magazines the bottom formed from dirt. A naval weapon and named them after the scientific name, or family.! Cephalopods in Pompeii, ca but instead ends in the electric ray are of no commercial value is! Or speckled pattern over their backs know not how to answer you. ” Bonaparte in the world with manta. North Sea and isolated Scottish waters superorder Batoidea, which they pulse in bursts. Species, belonging to different families, have this capability is credited with inventing the first torpedoes a!, motionless fish at the University of Maryland retaining most of its electricity Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation them with electric. Species—But did researchers break the law when they studied it and stunning or killing them with its electric.! S brother Daniel was killed in a defensive measure to fend off large predators such as tidal pools, beds. The state of electric charge Sea dead a high ratio of brain weight body. Not long and whip-like but instead ends in the 1800s – the electric! When she saw a large electric ray scientific name ray can grow more than 3 long!
How To Assemble Andis Nail Grinder, Silent Hill Dog, Cbp Form 259, Case Study Contract For Service, Nagpur To Delhi Route By Road, Sunbeam 40cm Pedestal Fan With Remote, Ludwigia Arcuata Emersed,