Discover Amazing Manta Ray Facts

Manta rays are the largest rays in the world. There are at least two species of mantas. Manta birostris is the giant oceanic manta and Manta alfredi is the reef manta. Their appearance is similar and the range of the two species overlaps, but the giant manta is more often found on the open ocean while the reef manta visits shallower, coastal waters. Fast Facts: Manta Ray Scientific Name: Manta sp.Other Names: Devil ray, Giant manta, Mobula sp.Distinguishing Features: Massive ray with a triangular shape, cavernous mouth, and paddle-shaped lobes in front of its mouthAverage Size: 7 meters (M. birostris); 5.5 m (M. alfredi)Diet: Carnivorous filter feederLifespan: Up to 50 yearsHabitat: Tropical and subtropical oceans worldwideConservation Status: Vulnerable (Population Decreasing)Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ChondrichthyesSubclass: ElasmobranchiiOrder: MyliobatiformesFamily: MobulidaeFun Fact: Mantas regularly visit reef cleaning stations to have external parasites removed. Description The name manta means mantle or cloak, which is an accurate description of the animals form. Manta rays have triangular pectoral fins, broad heads, and gill slits on their ventral surfaces. Their horn-shaped cephalic fins have earned them the nickname devil ray. Both species of ray have small, square teeth. The species differ in the structure of their dermal denticles, color patterns, and tooth patterns. Most mantas are black or dark-colored on top with marked shoulders and pale undersides. The ventral surface may have distinctive dark marks. All-black animals also occur. M. birostris has a spine near its dorsal fin, but it is incapable of stinging. M. birostris reaches 7 m (23 ft) in width, while M. alfredi reaches 5.5 m (18 ft) in width. A large manta can weight up to 1350 kg (2980 lb). Manta rays must move forward to pass oxygenated water over their gills. The fish swim basically by flapping their pectoral fins and flying underwater. Despite their large size, mantas frequently breach into air. The fish have one of the highest brain-to-body mass ratios and are believed to be highly intelligent. Manta rays must swim forward to breathe. Gregory Sweeney / Getty Images Distribution Manta rays live in the tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. They have been seen as far north as North Carolina in the United States (31Â °N)Â  and as far south as New Zealand (36Â °S), although they only venture into temperate seas when the water temperature is at least 20 Â °C (68 Â °F). Both species are pelagic, found mainly in the open ocean. They are common in coastal waters from spring to fall. They migrate as far as 1000 km (620 mi) and occur at depths ranging from sea level down to 1000 m (3300 ft). During the day, manta rays swim near the surface. At night, they venture deeper. Manta ray distribution. maplab Diet Manta rays are carnivorous filter feeders that prey upon zooplankton, including krill, shrimp, and crab larvae. Mantas hunt by sight and smell. A manta herds its prey by swimming around it so the current collects the plankton. Then, the ray speeds through the ball of food with a wide-open mouth. The cephalic fins channel particles into the mouth, while the gill arches collect them. Predators Killer whales and large sharks prey upon mantas. Cookie cutter sharks, which take round cookie-shaped bites from their prey, can inflict potentially fatal damage. Rays are susceptible to a variety of parasites. They routinely visit reef cleaning stations for wound cleaning and ectoparasite removal. The ability of each fish to revisit cleaning stations is considered evidence manta rays construct mental maps of their surroundings. Reproduction Mating occurs at different times of the year and depends on the mantas geographic location. Courtship appears to involve fish swimming in trains, often during the full moon. During mating, the male almost always grasps the females left pectoral fin. He then turns so the two are belly-to-belly and inserts a clasper into her cloaca. Gestation is believed to take 12 to 13 months. The egg cases hatch inside the female. Eventually, one to two pups emerge. Females usually give birth every two years. Males mature when they are younger and smaller than females. Females usually mature around 8 to 10 years of age. Mantas may live up to 50 years in the wild. Manta Rays and Humans Historically, manta rays were worshipped or feared. It wasnt until 1978 that divers demonstrated the animals were gentle and would interact with humans. Today, some of the best success protecting manta rays has come from ecotourism. Fishing a manta for its meat, skin, or for gill rakers for Chinese traditional medicine can earn hundred of dollars. However, each ray can bring in $1 million in tourism dollars over its lifetime. Scuba divers are most likely to encounter the great fish, but tourism in the Bahamas, Hawaii, Indonesia, Australia, Spain, and other countries makes it possible for anyone to view mantas. While the rays are not aggressive, care must be taken to avoid touching the fish because disrupting its mucous layer makes it susceptible to injury and infection. Mantas are not aggressive toward humans. James R.D. Scott / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN Red List classifies both M. alfredi and M. birostris as vulnerable with an elevated risk of extinction. While mantas are protected by many countries, their numbers are declining because of migration through unprotected waters, overfishing, bycatch, entanglement in fishing gear, ingestion of microplastics, water pollution, boat collisions, and climate change. Local populations face a severe threat because there is little interaction between subpopulations. Because of the fishs low reproductive rate, its unlikely mantas in unprotected areas can recover, particularly from overfishing. However, a few public aquariums are large enough to house manta rays. These include the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, and the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. The aquarium in Okinawa has successfully birthed manta rays in captivity. Sources Ebert, David A. (2003). Sharks, Rays, and Chimaeras of California. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23484-0.Marshall, A. D.; Bennett, M. B. (2010). Reproductive ecology of the reef manta ray Manta alfredi in southern Mozambique. Journal of Fish Biology. 77 (1): 185–186. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02669.xParsons, Ray (2006). Sharks, Skates, and Rays of the Gulf of Mexico: A Field Guide. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-60473-766-0.White, W. T.; Giles, J.; Dharmadi; Potter, I. (2006). Data on the bycatch fishery and reproductive biology of mobulid rays (Myliobatiformes) in Indonesia. Fisheries Research. 82 (1–3): 65–73. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2006.08.008

Industrialization Of The Industrial Revolution - 1635 Words

Just as it was in the 18th and 19th centuries when the industrial revolution began, today people fear that technology is destroying jobs. Prior to the industrial revolution manufacturing was often done in peoples homes, using hand tools or basic machines. Industrialization marked a shift to powered special purpose machinery, factories and mass production. Yet at this time people feared for their jobs because the machinery resulted in often-grim employment opportunities many people argue that the setting up of factories created jobs and while they did however, they tremendously cut down the availability of jobs for skilled artisans, not to mention the job conditions in the factories were unsafe, dismal, with very long hours for low wages. An example of this was in the textile industry before the mechanization and factories people would make items in their own schedules. However, in the 1700’s a series of innovations led to more productivity but requiring less human energy. Two examples of that resulted in increased innovations. Productivity and decreased manpower were the spinning jenny and the power loom. During this time there were also many new advancements in technology such as the assembly line and the telegraph and many people feared both. Today many people have the same fears of our advancements in technology. â€Å"The industrial revolution starting in Great Britain resulted in widespread panic and unemployment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (). Many people who had previously been gainfully employedShow MoreRelatedIndustrialization Of The Industrial Revolution886 Words   |  4 PagesO Sullivan HIS 1102 29 March 2015 Industrialization in Europe Industrialization is a noun given the definition of the large-scale introduction of manufacturing, advanced technical enterprises, and other productive economic activity into an area, society, country (Dictionary.com). Tools have been around forever, but until the industrialization they required human labor to use. 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Disruption of High School Education by Arrest and Court Involvement Free Essays

Gary Sweeten utilized the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to research an understudied element of high school drop out rates, using the factors of criminal involvement, specifically first-time arrests and involvement in the court system. He then examined the outcome of their completion of high school after these events. In the article â€Å"Who will graduate? Disruption of high school education by arrest and court involvement†, theoretical approaches are tied into more statistical data to encompass a more comprehensive view of the issues surrounding juvenile arrests and court involvement on future school success. We will write a custom essay sample on Disruption of High School Education by Arrest and Court Involvement or any similar topic only for you Order Now This study is extremely useful, in that the populations studied were more broad, as studies before have honed in on specific subsets of school populations. 8,984 youths were qualified for this study and assessments were conducted in the selected group. Several follow-up study waves were then conducted after initial selection, the first being obtaining background information, then over a period of three years, self-reports by the cohorts and their court involvement was assessed followed by drop-out statistics on this group. 4,432, who reported dropping out of high school were then analyzed. Theories that came into play to assist in the process of assembling data were labeling theory, deterrence theory, and propensity theory. Propensity theory was dismissed in that it gauged no correlative and valid results. Labeling theory and deterrence theory pose results that range on the opposite ends of the spectrum with deterrence theory proposing success in stopping future criminal activity, but gives no regard to educational and vocational achievement in the long-run. Therefore, labeling theory emerged as the most crucial with the idea presented that students, who feel stigmatized, will struggle with that stigma and with interruptions of schooling due to the criminal process and will face overwhelming odds to complete high school. Sampson and Laub’s life-course theory of cumulative disadvantage is also introduced, as is 39 other references and 5 tables to show the extent of analysis and the found effects in this article. Sampson and Laub’s theory furthers the labeling theory that is used throughout the paper and suggests that labeling is especially detrimental to already disadvantaged youth. In other words, if one already carries a label of poor or any minority status, the label of â€Å"criminal† will accelerate negative internal attributions of self-worth. Sweeten uses both traditional labeling theory and Sampson and Laub’s assessments not only to compliment his findings in the paper, but to also suggest irregularities with particular points that do not correlate. This leads Sweeten to realize that with both the limited amount of studies already completed on this particular subject without a broad base of research subjects, as he uses, and the lack of consensus among different theorists, that more research need be done on this topic. He realizes that looking at mediating factors and certain types of intervention may lead to studies that have a conclusive and usable strategy in its findings that will ameliorate the issues that he concludes in this study. How to cite Disruption of High School Education by Arrest and Court Involvement, Papers