Rays

Rays are a large group of cartilaginous fish, with 600 species from 24 families. They are known for their flattened body, long wing-like fins, and close relation to sharks. In rays and sharks both of their structures are made out of cartilage, and they don't have any bones. Rays have whiplike, long tails. A stingray's tail is called a caudal.

An average ray can live up to 30 years in the wild.

All rays belong to the superorder Batoidea, which includes stingrays, electric rays, skates, guitarfish, and sawfish.

Among the best known rays are stingrays, which have long, slim, whiplike tails armed with serrated, venomous spines. A stingray lashes its tail only as a defensive measure when it is caught, stepped on, or otherwise disturbed.

Rays can be classified into the following groups: electric rays, sawfishes, skates, and various families of rays that have slender, whiplike tails equipped with spines and that are all-inclusively called stingrays, or whip-tailed rays.

The electric rays (suborder Torpedinoidei) are distinguished by large paired electric organs between the pectoral fins and the head, with which they can give powerful shocks either for defensive purposes or to kill prey.