Bow-forehead electric rays
| Bow-forehead electric rays | ||||||||||||
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Arc-forehead electric ray ( Torpedo panthera ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Torpedo panthera | ||||||||||||
| Olfers , 1832 |
The Scalloped torpedo ( Torpedo panthera ), also Scalloped torpedo ray called, is a ray from the genus Torpedo in the family of electric ray (Torpedinidae).
External features
The disc-shaped body of the animals has a length of approx. 1 m when fully grown and is dotted yellow-brown on the upper side. The underside is uniformly whitish. The tail is sturdy and strong. It has no spines and its length is about 2/3 of the body length.
distribution
Arc-fronted electric rays live in the Red Sea and the western part of the Indian Ocean .
habitat
The diurnal animals live mainly in coral reefs . There they prefer the top of the reef and the sandy bottoms near the reef slope. Depending on the source, the fish dive in water depths of up to 110 or 350 m.
nutrition
Bow-forehead electric rays feed on small crustaceans, small fish, and worms. They can stun them with electric shocks of 100 to 200 volts . In order to generate such electric shocks, the animals have special organs, the electroplaxis , which consist of modified muscle structures. These organs are located on the sides of the body.
Behavior towards people
The rays are not aggressive towards humans. However, the electric shocks are potentially life-threatening as they can cause unconsciousness . Such unconsciousness can very quickly have fatal consequences in water. However, no such cases are known. The consequences of an electric shock are described by divers as comparable to a strong punch.
literature
- Alberto Siliotti et al. A .: The fish of the Red Sea, Memofish-Book , Geodia Verlag, Verona 2002, ISBN 88-87177-43-0
Web links
- Bow-forehead electric rays on Fishbase.org (English)
- Torpedo panthera inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: de Carvalho, MR & McCord, ME, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2013.