Off the East Coast of the US, a camera caught a strange creature.
Researchers said that one of the ocean’s creatures that can swim and hunt at a depth of 6,000 feet was caught on camera off the East Coast of the United States. This was a rare discovery.
A study released in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom says that the Sicklefin devil ray is an endangered species that is very big and can grow up to 12 feet wide.
The rays live in small parts of the sea all over the world, but no one has ever seen one near the US.
This picture, which came out on April 24, 2023, shows Sicklefin devil Ray. — Marine Megafauna Foundation/Jessica Pate
This picture, which came out on April 24, 2023, shows Sicklefin devil Ray. — Marine Megafauna Foundation/Jessica Pate
Researchers at the Marine Megafauna Foundation used sightings of rays from scuba divers, aerial surveyors, and social media sites, among other places, to update their data.
In a news release, Marine Megafauna Foundation researcher Jessica Pate said, “One sighting even included a video of a devil ray swimming into a commercial saturation diver’s air line in the dark!”
Researchers came to the conclusion that “180 sightings and 361 individual Sicklefin devil rays were found in the waters off the US east coast and the Gulf of Mexico between 1996 and 2022.”
Ray the Sicklefin Devil could be in this picture, which will come out on April 24, 2023. — Marine Megafauna Foundation and NOAA Creative Commons
Ray the Sicklefin Devil could be in this picture, which will come out on April 24, 2023. — Marine Megafauna Foundation and NOAA Creative Commons
Their research shows that the rays can be found in both the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.
Pate said, “People often don’t know that these rays exist. They’ve been mistaken for manta rays, which are even bigger.” This study shows how “non-scientists often make really important observations and help save endangered species,” he said.
The researchers said that it is important to know the most up-to-date knowledge about the rays’ habitat in order to understand the risks that fisheries pose.
In a 2019 study, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says that ray fish are endangered. It’s hard to be sure, but it seems like their numbers are going down.
The study says that these fish are often caught by accident as bycatches. They are usually found in India and Indonesia.
According to the story, not much is known about their biology, but it is thought that they only have one baby every few years. This means that they probably need a lot of time to increase their numbers.
Pate said, “This study shows how accidental observations and data from observers can help us learn important things about rare, vulnerable, and hard-to-study species.”