Its lifespan for example, remains unknown and although they’ve only been discovered in rivers, it’s unclear whether the fish ever venture into saltwater. In a world bursting with news, nature is our niche – and we love it that way. It is found in large rivers and estuaries in Southeast Asia and Borneo, though historically it may have been more widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia. lker Aydin and his graduate students.
If you’re going after one of these behemoths, be sure to use heavy tackle, since they can snap a lighter line. Farrugia adds that there is also another possibility: changes in the environment (going from water to air) could physically push the babies out.
They are brown to gray in color, wide and flat in form and they sport a long, whip-like tail. Because it was only recently discovered, there’s relatively little information available about the Giant Stingray, compared to more familiar species of fish. The 450-kilogram common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca) was caught near Turkey's western Izmir province by Ege University Department of Aquaculture researcher Dr lker Aydin and his graduate students.
"It's a very surprising turn of events in most cases, and every time I have witnessed it, the offspring were pretty far along in their development. Giant Stingrays shed & re-grow their spines on a regular basis regardless of whether they use them. After a few short minutes, the animal was about ready for release – but something caught Aydin's eye when he lifted the ray's tail to determine the sex: the animal was giving birth. Though they recently have become a prized catch for sport fishermen, destruction of river habitat is probably a bigger threat to the Giant Stingray’s existence. Saltwater rays that don't belong to the stinging suborder (Myliobatoidei) can grow even bigger.__Top header image: Simone Carletti/Flickr, Sarah Keartes is a science and wildlife journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. They often bury themselves in sandy or silted river bottoms, where they breathe through holes or spiracles, located on the tops of their bodies. Sharks and rays are very sensitive to stress, and it's not uncommon for females to go into labour after being caught (either on a line, or by a predator).
Even in a healthy, fully developed brood, only a fraction of ray pups actually make it to adulthood – but we can at least tell you that each of these babies swam away without any trouble. The 15-inch barb on the base of its tail can penetrate flesh & bone as easily as an arrow. Though stingrays do not readily attack humans, they are one of the few mega-fishes that can pose a real danger to those who handle them. So you what to become a Marine Biologist! If that’s not enough to get your attention, it’s also arguably the most bizarre-looking one with its outlandishly wide, pancake-flat body and whip-like tail. Once a Giant Stingray manages to get back down to the river bottom, it’s almost impossible to move. Marine Biology, Oceanography & Ocean Engineering, The Future a.k.a. It appears in Season 2, episode 2, where Jeremy Wade attempts to catch and release a specimen. If the stingray loses one of its barbs while defending itself, it immediately begins to grow a new one. Though a Giant Stingrays won’t target & attack a human when confronted, it’s capable of inflicting a gruesome injury. This isn't the first time we've seen a ray give birth under strange circumstances. It’s believed to spend its days lurking in dark, muddy river bottoms in Thailand, Cambodia, Borneo, New Guinea and Western Australia but the Giant Stingray is as mysterious as it is exotic.