00:02Armed with a bowl full of shrimp we're headed to the stingray tank where the
00:06resident Atlantic and southern stingrays are patiently waiting for their meals to
00:10be served. So these rays enjoy their meal kebab style all you have to do is grab a
00:16shrimp, skewer it, lower it into the water and the rays will take care of the
00:21rest. As the stingrays come closer for a meal we have the opportunity to get a
00:27better look at their features. Their mouths are located on the underside of
00:32their bodies and so are their gill slits and nostrils but their eyes sit on top of
00:36their head which makes it easy to keep a lookout for predators and prey while they
00:40rest on the ocean floor. It's obvious that these beautiful creatures have an ideal
00:46body plan for life underwater and they certainly know their way around this
00:50tank especially when it comes to feeding time but did you know that stingrays are
00:54actually members of a group known as cartilaginous fish. Instead their
00:58skeletons aren't made of bone they're made of cartilage which is the same stuff
01:02that comprises the tips of our noses which allows extra flexibility in those
01:06large wing like fins. It's actually quite mesmerizing to watch them fly through the
01:11water with effortless grace. And check out that tail it's almost twice as long as its
01:16body and if you look carefully you can see the defense mechanism that gives the
01:21stingray its name. The barbs on their tails are covered in a venomous mucus and can
01:26in fact sting their predators if they're being attacked. And it's because of this
01:30barb that these magnificent creatures are often misunderstood but with like any
01:35animal whether under human care or in the wild if you keep a safe distance and
01:39treat them with respect we can live alongside them harmoniously.
01:42you
01:44you
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