Last Update : Thursday 26 July, 2001 2:46 AM
Last Update : Thursday 26 July, 2001 2:46 AM |
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Combat Manta ray
BEGINNING
HER (1)
She was born in the open sea when her mother lanced pass the water high up in the air. She was dropped from her mother’s body down to the wave. The first touch of the blue world caused dizziness. When she looked out she saw her mother sped away, leaving her to face with the wide world alone from the first second in life.
She had no brother or sister. Although manta ray can give birth to two babies after 13 months pregnant, this time her mother had had her only.
Before she was born, her father and mother mated by the method not quite known to scientist. The mating was done mainly in the deep sea. But it could also be near to the island. She was born in the ovary, fed by uterine milk, growing up, waiting to be delivered. Manta rays are like most stingrays. They can produce milk to feed the cubs in the ovary.
Reproduction method of stingrays and sharks can be divided into 3 types. The first type, oviparous, is found in sharks and stingrays in skate group. The roe are large, attached to the seabed before hatched. The second type, viviparous, is found in some group of sharks. Embryo are grown in the ovary and born like animals with backbone. The last type, ovo-viviparous, is found in most stingrays. Mother keeps ovum in the abdomen. The cub grows in the ovum before hatching in the ovary and born. This method helps the cub to be large enough to fend for its own life in the sea. Like her, she was 1 meter wide, measuring from wingtip to wingtip, when she was born.
Instinct made the young ray started to move. She tried to flap her wings in rhythm. Nature has made a proper body for rays to be under the water. Pelvic are in the shape of wings, curve and slim at the end. She moves forward like flying birds flap…flap…flap. When she was frightened and flapped her wings quickly, gaining her top speed, hardly a fish or other creatures in the sea could match her.
She is one of the fastest creatures in the blue world.
The young ray began to enjoy the move. She learned that every time she flapped both wings at the same time, she moved forward. If she stretched out one wing flat and flapped only the other wing she would swerve around. Some times she moved at high speed and pulled her head up or dived down according to her own free will.
Several times Manta stopped still, stretching her wings and tail, her body floated slowly in the water. Unlike most stingrays and many groups of eagle ray, she has no spine at the tail. She escaped from the enemy by swimming away. With her body size so large, she was not afraid of anyone in the blue world.
She was enjoying the first lesson in her life.
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