Animal
Ocellated eagle ray
A ray whose strong jaws break through hard shells and armour.
Idioma del contenido
As it swims, the ocellated eagle ray moves its broad fins in a way that recalls a bird in flight. Its scientific name is Aetobatus ocellatus, and it is one of the rays in Łódź Zoo’s ocean zone. Its natural habitat is mainly coastal water, including areas near river mouths. Close to shore it finds food, but also encounters human activity more frequently.
Crabs, clams and snails are important parts of its diet. Their hard coverings are no obstacle: the ray’s powerful jaws crush shells and armour. It also eats octopuses and other aquatic animals rather than relying on a single kind of prey. People sometimes use these rays’ long tails to make ornaments, and the animals are also caught for food.
Coastal life exposes eagle rays to entanglement in fishing nets. Water pollution further damages their environment. Their protection is therefore closely tied to what happens where land meets sea. At the Orientarium, eagle rays share the ocean zone with sharks and other fish. Their swimming movements can be compared with the outline and motion of nearby reef sharks.
Para niños
It looks as though it is flying underwater, but the ocellated eagle ray is a fish. It belongs to the rays and moves using broad fins. In the Orientarium it lives in the ocean zone, which is also home to sharks.
An eagle ray can eat animals hidden inside hard coverings. Its strong jaws crush the shells of clams and snails and the armour of crabs. Octopuses are on its menu too.
Wild eagle rays live near coasts, including river mouths. They sometimes become caught in fishing nets, while polluted water harms their environment. Through the glass, compare the movement of the ray’s broad fins with a shark’s swimming. These are two different ways of travelling through the same tank.
Pregunta 1 de 2
How does an eagle ray deal with its prey’s shells?
- Ubicación
- Orientarium, ocean zone, large tank beside the tunnel.