While sharks have become rulers of the open ocean, the skates and rays have conquered the seabed in their place, making up the superorder Batoidea. With their distinct shape, skates and rays have become highly efficient predators of life beneath the sediment. Different species make use of different strategies. Bottom-dwelling species such as skates are often ambush predators, burying themselves in the sediment and lying motionless before snapping up passing creatures. This behaviour also protects the rays from being spotted by predators. In contrast, eagle rays and cow nose rays gather in graceful schools. To hunt, they dig invertebrates from the sediment using their prominent snouts or by beating their wings. Manta rays are truly pelagic, spending their lives in the open ocean and feeding in a very different way.
00:00 – An Introduction to Rays and Skates
01:09 – The Structure of Rays – General Body Plan
02:12 – The Structure of Rays – Dermal Denticles
02:36 – Hunting Methods – Ambush Predators
03:09 – Hunting Methods – Digging for Prey
03:29 – Hunting Methods – Filter Feeding (Manta Rays)
04:03 – Adaptations of the Manta Ray
04:45 – Hunting Methods – The Sawfish
04:47 – The Role of Rays – Bioturbation
05:37 – The Role of Rays – A Source of Prey
06:07 – Migrations – The Great Devil Ray Swarm
06:36 – Migrations – Taking to the Skies
07:27 – Rays of the Depths – Devil Rays
07:52 – Rays of the Depths – The Deepsea Skate
08:57 – Rays of the Depths – The Chimaera
09:30 – Conclusion – The Importance of Rays
DEEP SEA HUB: https://naturalworldfacts.com/deep-sea-hub/
Footage used is from various YouTube sources, the BBC, MBARI, NatGeo, the Ocean Exploration Institute and the Schmidt Ocean Institute, as well as other sources.
Music Used:
Industrial Music Box by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100812
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Atlantean Twilight by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100322
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300039
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
The Light Within by the Westerlies
Glacier by Patrick Patrikios
#deepsea #wildlife #nature #documentary #ocean #marinebiology #science #biology
Resources:
https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/deep-ocean/these-deep-sea-skates-use-hydrothermal-vents-as-egg-incubators/
https://oceana.org/marine-life/sharks-rays/giant-manta-ray
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-spectacular-display-of-the-mobula-ray.html