electric ray
(also ‘torpedo’ or ‘torpedo ray’)
an electric ray
a kind of fish – cartilaginous fish (no bones) – a thick flat flabby (loose skin) disc-shaped body with wing-like round fins on the sides that flapped while swimming; the round body extends into a thick tail part and a smaller fin below the round fin is attached to the tail part on either side of the disc; no fins on the upper disc of the body, but there are fins growing up from the tail part; the eyes are on the upper side of the body, but the mouth, nostrils (nose openings), and five pairs of gill slits (narrow openings for taking in oxygen from water, which are found on the sides of the body in other fish) are placed underneath the disc; a ‘kidney-shaped’ organ on either side of the head part of the disc; grows to 1-6 feet in length, weight varies – maximum weight recorded being 90 Kg.; feeds on (eats) fish, crabs, molluscs; about 69 species found in the rocky reefs and kelp beds of the warm sea waters of the world
the underside of an electric ray
The electric ray, like the other rays, has a peculiar disc-shaped body for a fish.
An electric ray can produces electricity ranging from 8 volts to 200 volts.
The electric ray uses its electric power to stun a prey (= the animal it eats) and to keep away its predator (= the animal which eats it ).
The ancient Greeks and Romans used its electric power to treat people of some ailments, such as gout, headache, etc. by placing the fish on the temples of the patients!
These days the electric ray is used in the medical research.
The ‘torpedo’ which is a cigar-shaped, self-propelled explosive device that blasts and destroys the target on contact, used in wars by submarines, aircraft or warships, is named after the group of fish to which the ‘electric ray’ belongs!!
More from Animals in Language
Python
python: a large python a kind of snake -- reptile -- usually large, muscular and powerful -- grows to 1 metre …
Animals-Adder-Aye-Aye
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T …
