Just How Devilish??

They get their name from the way their front horns look when not eating. They are the cousins of the amazing Manta Ray.

Today we’re talking about…you guessed it…the Devil Ray! Though smaller in size, it is in now way smaller in impact. Let’s look at five devilish facts about this fascinating deep sea creature.

Check it as we kick those facts:

1. Feeding Time - When it’s time to eat, Devil Rays can dive down as far a little over 1 mile (2km). They can stay down for an hour to an hour and a half at speeds of 13 miles per hour! That’s pretty far, pretty long AND pretty fast! They warm some of the blood vessels in the brain in shallow water before going deeeeeep down in icy waters of around 39F!

2. Bun in the Oven…For HOW Long?! - So, when it’s time to bring the next generation of Devil Rays into the Oceanic environment, the female develops and hatches the eggs inside the body. That’s pretty incredible, but the most incredible part…? They can be pregnant for TWO YEARS!!! Can you imagine carrying your bundles of joy for that long??? Yeah…us neither!

3. Ants In My Pants - Of course they don’t wear pants, but you’ll be hard pressed to find the Devil Ray in one spot for too long. Unlike many other Rays in the family (Manta/Sting), the Devil Ray prefers to keep swimming and exploring the Ocean blue.

4. That’s a LOOOOOOOOONG Time To Be Around - Research has shown that the Devil ray has been exploring the infinite deep blue for years. Twenty to Twenty-Five Million years to be exact. Oh the things they have seen! The stories they could tell!

5. Wrong Places at the Wrong Times - According to the IUCN Red List the Giant Devil Ray is classified as Endangered. Whether from fishing, boat traffic, habitat invasion & pollution, they have become victims of bycatch or simple entanglement. Things have made a turn for the better thanks to organizations like Project Aware.