Tiburones y rayas

Grupo 12: Tiburones y Rayas

Grupo 12 - Tiburones y rayas: aunque los tiburones y las rayas son cartilaginosos (sus esqueletos están hechos de cartílago en lugar de huesos), todavía se los conoce como peces y se los cuenta durante nuestras encuestas.

Round Stingray (raya redonda, Urobatis halleri)

This ray is most often found away from the reef on sandy and silty bottoms. The ID can be confirmed by the small lines around the round wings of the ray and the lack of body spots. Two other similarly looking species occur in the area, Urobatis maculatus (Spotted Stingray or Cortez Round Stingray) and Urobatis concetricus (Bullseye Stingray or Concentric Stingray). Please consult reference guides before recording a stingray on the scanform. (Max disk size 12”, Max length 16”)

Manta Ray (manta, Manta birostris)

Mantas are the gentle winged giants of the sea. Positively identified by the protruding cephalic fins on either side of the head, mantas have mouths at the front of the head, rather than underneath like other rays. There are a few other, smaller species of Mobula, a ray similar in appearance to the manta, that are found in the Gulf. You are most likely to see the mobula jumping out of the water while you are on the boat, rather than underwater. Both mobula and manta are harvested in the Gulf of California and their populations have decreased dramatically. (Wing span size 6-12 feet, max. 22 ft)

Scalloped Hammerhead (tiburón martillo, Sphyrna lewini)

Representative of the shark family most often seen in the Gulf for California, the scalloped hammerhead is unique in its shape. Having eyes as well as olfactory nerves on the ends of its broad head enable it to accurately determine the direction of a scent. The scalloped hammerhead can be seen in great schools at certain locations and times and can be identified by the slight indentations to the front of its hammer. (Size 5-9 feet, max. 14 ft)

Spotted Eagle Ray (Aetobatus narinari)

Spotted eagle rays have flat disk-shaped bodies, deep blue or black with white spots on top with a white underbelly, and distinctive flat snouts similar to a duck's bill. Their tails are longer than other rays and may have 2–6 venomous spines, behind the pelvic fins. The front of the wing-like pectoral disk has five small gills in its underside.

Longtail Stingray (Dasyatis longa)

The longtail stingray is found along the tropical Pacific coast of the Americas. It reaches a maximum known width of 1.60 m (5.2 ft), length of 2.60 m (8.4 ft). It has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc about a sixth wider than long, with the outer corners broadly rounded. The front margins are nearly straight, meeting the tip of the snout at a blunt angle.

Pacific Whiptail Stingray (Styracura pacifica)

This stingray attains a maximum known length of 150 cm (59 in) and a disk width of 60 cm (24 in). It has a rounded pectoral fin disk and a broadly angled snout with a small protuberance at the tip.

Bullseye Electric Ray (Diplobatis ommata)

The ocellated electric ray is common in the tropical coastal waters of the eastern Pacific. Reaching 25 cm (9.8 in) in length, this species has a rounded pectoral fin disc and pelvic fins with convex margins. Its short and thick tail bears two dorsal fins and terminates in a triangular caudal fin. The ocellated electric ray is named for the distinctive large eyespot on the middle of its disc, consisting of a black or yellow center surrounded by concentric rings. Its dorsal coloration is otherwise highly variable, ranging from plain to ornately patterned on a light to dark brown background. The front part of its disc is darker brown.

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1. Disks and Ovals / Colorful

The first category of disk and oval shaped fish are very important to learn. They are colorful, large and very obvious and the three main families that make up the group can be found on almost every dive.

2. Silvery Fish

Silvery fish have many different family members, though we will look at just a few representatives. As opposed to the colorful butterfly, angel and surgeonfish, the silvery fish tend to blend in better in open water and are usually not found near the colorful bottom.

3. Sloping Head / Tapered Body

This third group of “fish-like” fish, are very important to learn. The are common on most dives and are also highly sought after as food fish. It is especially important to monitor these fish to provide data for fisheries management. Snappers can be very difficult to tell apart from the similarly shaped grunts. One helpful hint is to look at their tails. Snappers tend to have straight, flat tails. They are also known for their habit of snapping their mouth open and shut when caught on hook and line. They have very sharp canine teeth that can provide a nasty bite to the unsuspecting angler. Look closely on your next dive and you may see the small teeth protruding from the side of the mouth. Grunts on the other hand, have slightly notched tails. They get their name from the grunting sounds they emit when threatened. These sounds are created by rubbing together bony teeth plates located in the back of the throat. Since the teeth are in the throat, a diver will never see protruding teeth on a grunt, only big blubbery fish lips.

4. Small Ovals / Damselfish

While divers tend to first notice the larger, more obvious fish on a dive, after a short while the challenge to find new species leads them to change their search image to look for smaller, previously unnoticed fish. Generally, the first new species a diver will encounter will belong to the small oval shaped group. This group is broken into the damselfish and their close cousins the chromis. Damsels are like the surgeonfish in that they eat algae. They do not roam around grazing, but rather tend to small algae gardens like a farmer. These areas are guarded fiercely as the algae farm is the damsels food source. For that reason you can think of the damselfish as not just territorial, but Dam- selfish with its territory. Many damselfish have distinctly different colors as juveniles, often being much brighter and more colorful when they are young and becoming drab with age. (much like us humans!) For this reason, the juveniles have been heavily collected for the aquarium trade and are under heavy fishing pressure. As part of the REEF Fish Survey Project, divers are asked to monitor the juveniles and adults separately in two of the damselfish species – the Cortez damselfish and the giant damselfish.

5. Heavy Body / Large Lips

Heavy bodied, large lipped fish belong to the seabass family. We tend to refer to the larger seabasses as groupers and the smaller seabasses as bass or basslets. These fish are extremely important food fish and are under increasing threats from heavy fishing pressures. Monitoring these fish can help provide valuable data to aid in their protection. Most seabasses are hermaphrodites, meaning the same fish will be both a male and a female during its lifetime. The groupers are all born female and later change sex to become male. Most large groupers also congregate each year to spawn at a specific location, making them easy targets for emerging positioning and fishing technology.

6. Swim with Pectorals / Obvious Scales

The fish in this group all use their pectoral fins to swim with rather than the traditional tail swimming of most other fish. The scales are also quite large and obvious. These fish can also be hermaphrodites, like the groupers, with some fish changing sex and others staying the same. Intermediate and adult fish often have very different appearances compared to the always-male terminal phase. This means learning two colors to be able to ID the same species of fish. Most of the pictures shown in this curriculum are terminal phase males, unless noted.

7. Redish / Big Eyes

This group of reddish fish is normally not seen during day dives due to their nocturnal nature. The reddish color helps them blend in at night and the large eyes help them to see better.

8. Small, Elongated Bottom Dwellers

The small bottom dwelling fish often make up the most interesting fish to watch during your dive. Their approachable nature and interesting behaviors make them great fishwatching finds. Blennies tend to be slightly larger than gobies, but are most easily recognized by their curved body posture and expressive faces. Gobies, though similar in their habitat requirements, tend to sit flat and straight on the bottom. The jawfishes actually live in a burrow in the sand that they excavate and maintain.

9. Odd-Shaped Bottom-Dwellers

This category of fish is made up of families and species that didn’t quite fit anywhere else due to their unique body shapes.

10. Odd-Shaped Swimmers

This group of fish contain families that are unusual in their shape, but are swimmers rather than bottom dwellers.

11. Eels

Though looking like snakes, eels are fish. There are several different types of eels, and we will look at two – garden eels that live in burrows in the sand and moray eels. Moray eels have a bad reputation mainly due to the constant opening and closing of their sharp toothed mouths. However, this is not a threat to divers, as this action pumps water through their gills. Most eels are actually very shy.

12. Sharks & Rays

Even though the sharks and rays are cartilaginous (their skeletons are made of cartilage instead of bones), they are still referred to as fish and count during our surveys.

5 Fun Facts - Tiburones toro y tiburones punta blanca

Aquí en Costa Rica hay tres especies de tiburones que encontrarás dependiendo del sitio de buceo y la época del año en la que bucees. En nuestros sitios de buceo locales encontramos tiburones de arrecife de punta blanca, tiburones nodriza y, por supuesto, los famosos tiburones toro en las Islas Murciélago. Aquí hay algunos datos divertidos sobre estas majestuosas leyendas del mundo submarino de Costa Rica.

Tiburones toro: maestros de los ambientes estuarinos: Los tiburones toro habitan con frecuencia ambientes estuarinos, donde el agua dulce de los ríos se encuentra con el agua salada del océano. Su capacidad para navegar y adaptarse a estos niveles fluctuantes de salinidad muestra su resiliencia en diversos ecosistemas.

La estrategia reproductiva única de los tiburones toro: Los tiburones toro tienen una estrategia reproductiva fascinante conocida como "viviparidad placentaria". Esto significa que los embriones se desarrollan dentro de la madre, recibiendo nutrientes a través de una conexión placentaria. Esta adaptación permite que los tiburones toro den a luz a crías vivas en lugar de poner huevos.

Hora de la siesta de los tiburones de punta blanca: Los tiburones de punta blanca son conocidos por su comportamiento dócil durante el día. A menudo se les encuentra descansando en cuevas o bajo salientes de coral, y parecen tener una siesta diaria, lo que permite a los buceadores observar su lado más relajado antes de volverse más activos durante las expediciones de caza nocturnas.

Caza en tándem de tiburones de punta blanca de arrecife: Los tiburones de punta blanca de arrecife son conocidos por su comportamiento de caza cooperativo. A menudo cazan en grupos, utilizando un método conocido como "natación en tándem" para acorralar bancos de peces en espacios reducidos, lo que les facilita la captura de sus presas. En raras ocasiones este comportamiento se puede observar en las Islas Catalinas en el sitio de buceo de South Point.

Intrincados rituales de cortejo de los tiburones de punta blanca de arrecife: Los tiburones de punta blanca de arrecife participan en elaborados rituales de cortejo que implican nadar juntos y acariciarse unos a otros. Estas exhibiciones no sólo son fascinantes de presenciar, sino que también desempeñan un papel crucial en el proceso de vinculación entre parejas potenciales.

5 Fun Facts - Rayas

Costa Rica es un paraíso para quienes aman ver rayas bajo el agua. Aquí en nuestros sitios de buceo locales encontramos una amplia variedad de especies de rayas. Cuando vienes a bucear con nosotros, hay un buen cambio: puedes encontrarte con cualquiera de las siguientes rayas: raya águila moteada del Pacífico, raya redonda, raya eléctrica, raya redonda leopardo, raya de cola larga, raya nariz de vaca dorada, pez guitarra con bandas del sur, raya eléctrica diana , raya mariposa, raya chupare del Pacífico, raya redonda de cola espinosa, rayas Mobula e incluso las mantarrayas gigantes en las Islas Catalinas o Murciélagos.

Los talentos ocultos de las mantarrayas: varias especies de mantarrayas habitan en las aguas de Costa Rica, siendo la más emblemática la mantarraya austral. Estas rayas son maestras del camuflaje y se entierran en el fondo arenoso del océano, dejando solo sus ojos y espiráculos (aberturas respiratorias) expuestos. A pesar de su nombre, las mantarrayas son generalmente dóciles y sólo utilizan las venenosas espinas de su cola para defenderse.

Mobula Madness: Costa Rica es un lugar de recreo estacional para las rayas mobula, también conocidas como rayas del diablo. Estos nadadores acrobáticos son conocidos por sus increíbles saltos, a menudo elevándose varios pies sobre la superficie del agua. Las razones detrás de estos impresionantes saltos no se comprenden del todo, pero se cree que están relacionadas con la comunicación, el cortejo o la eliminación de parásitos.

Zonas de cría de rayas: Las zonas costeras poco profundas de Costa Rica, como las que rodean el Golfo de Papagayo y Playas del Coco, sirven como zonas de cría esenciales para muchas especies de rayas. Estos entornos protegidos proporcionan un refugio seguro para que las rayas juveniles crezcan y se desarrollen antes de aventurarse en aguas más profundas.

Las rayas águila se alimentan en el fondo: buscan activamente presas en el fondo marino. Al igual que las mantarrayas, sus bocas están ubicadas en la parte inferior de sus cuerpos. En particular, poseen un hocico prominente distintivo, que a veces emplean para tamizar la arena en busca de comidas deliciosas. Categorizadas como carnívoras, las rayas águila cuentan con dientes planos especializados diseñados específicamente para moler y triturar crustáceos y moluscos. A pesar de esta especialización, sus preferencias dietéticas no están limitadas, ya que consumen fácilmente una variedad de alimentos que incluyen gusanos, peces pequeños e incluso pulpos. Esta adaptabilidad en sus hábitos alimentarios resalta la diversa gama de fuentes de alimentos que explotan en sus entornos submarinos.

Defensa eléctrica: Al igual que sus parientes, el rayo eléctrico ocelado (rayo eléctrico diana) tiene un mecanismo de defensa en forma de descarga eléctrica moderada. Durante las horas del día, esta raya solitaria descansa predominantemente parcialmente enterrada en la arena, frecuentemente cerca de arrecifes rocosos. Su comportamiento nocturno ve una mayor actividad, y la raya utiliza sus aletas pélvicas para "saltar" a lo largo del fondo marino. La raya eléctrica ocelada se sustenta consumiendo pequeños crustáceos como anfípodos y camarones, junto con gusanos poliquetos.

Tiburones y rayas

Grupo 12: Tiburones y Rayas

Grupo 12: Tiburones y Rayas

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5 Fun Facts - Tiburones toro y tiburones punta blanca

5 Fun Facts - Rayas

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