whats the difference between a stingray and a manta ray?

Answer 1

The Manta Ray (Manta birostris) is closely related to sharks. Like the shark their skeleton is made of cartilage. On average they are about 20 feet wide and weigh up to 3000 pounds. They are the largest of the rays. They are dark brown or black above and white underneath. Two flap-like lobes extending from their eyes are used to funnel microscopic plankton into their mouths. They also eat small fish and crustaceans. They have no teeth.

The word manta is Spanish meaning blanket, which is a word that describes the appearance of these animals very well.

Mantas are distributed worldwide and generally inhabit tropical seas. They are graceful swimmers using their fins to propel them through the water. They are also known to leap clear out of the water. They have few natural predators, such as the shark or killer whale.

Females give birth to one or two pups. They are about 45 inches long at birth and weigh 20 pounds. The young grow quickly.

Manta Rays are harmless to divers. Some Rays have stinging tails. Their life span is unknown
Stingrays (Dasyatidae) use their greatly enlarged pectoral fins to excavate the bottom, searching for shellfish that they crush with broad, flat teeth. It is common to find these rays buried in sand or mud. If an unwary wader steps on this ray, they could be stung by the poisonous tail spine. The pain from the sting is excruciating.

These rays are anywhere from 1 to 7 feet long. They generally inhabit warm, shallow seas.

The Diamond stingray (Dasyatis brevis) is 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. The sting from this ray is extremely serious and there is at least one death recorded. These rays like to bury themselves in the sand and can become nearly invisible. Their range is off the coast of British Columbia all the way south to Peru. They are common along the coast of San Diego, California, and also in the Gulf of California.

The large, wide butterfly rays, often considered part of this group, are not as dangerous.

Answer 2

Stingray a ray with a flexible tail shaped like a whip that has poisonous spines on it. Native to: shallow warm waters. Manta ray a large warm-water ray with wide pectoral fins, a long tail, and two fins resembling horns that project from the head.

Answer 3

manta ray does not have a stinger on it. the stingray will sting you and kill you.