Photo Pumpkin

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Golden Sting Ray Migration

Animals November 8th, 2008

GOLDEN STING RAY MIGRATION

Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea thousands of Golden Rays are seen here
gathering off the coast of Mexico. The spectacular scene was captured as the
magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable
waters.

Gliding silently beneath the waves they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the
northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer,
stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks.

She said: ‘It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was
covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently
moved by the wind. ‘It’s hard to say exactly how many there were, but in the range of a few
thousand.

‘We were surrounded by them, without seeing the edge of the school, and we could see many
under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right
time to experience nature at his best.’

Measuring up to 7 ft (2.1 meters) from wing-tip to wing-tip, Golden Rays are also more
prosaically known as Cow Nose Rays. They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate
into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance.
Despite having poisonous stingers, they are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools. The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000.