Diet
Stingrays eat a variety of foods. Although Stingrays are relatively large creatures, they feed on tiny marine animals such as crustaceans. Specific species include crabs, clams, oysters, snails, worms and some species of fish. The Common Stingray primarily prey during the nighttime rather in the day and because they are in the order of Myliobatiformes, they strictly feed on meat (Carnivores). When hunting, they hunt within the upper water column meaning they eat in areas above the sea floor. The stingrays is also used in hunting as the stinger on the end of its long tail can pierce through its prey eluding any possibilities for escape. When unable to catch prey, their fins are also used to remove the top layer of sand in search of any
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buried food. An adult stingray can eat as much as 5 pounds of food a day! Digestion process In terms of feeding, the Common Stingray usually wait several days between eating each meals.
In common Stingrays, their digestive tract consist of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, anterior intestine, spiral valve intestine, ending in a cloaca. Unlike most animals, the mouth of the stingray is located on its underbelly and is the opening hole in allowing food bolus to enter. With some common stingray, they do not contain any teeth and therefore must use small plates located in their mouth to absorb the food particles out of the water. Once this has occurred, the gills of the stingray trap the food inside its mouth and allow the remaining water to be released. When in the case that the stingray do not have teeth, there are 28-38 upper tooth rows and 28-43 lower tooth rows where each tooth is often small and blunt. A stingray’s mouth is only visible from underneath and therefore very hard to see. …show more content…
The digestion process begins in the mouth where food enters the body.
Next the food is traveled through the esophagus where three layers including the mucosa, mascularis, and adventitia are found. The Mucosa is the inner lining of the esophagus, responsible for absorbing water from the food, the Muscaris is responsible for the wave of contraction that helps guide the food down the esophagus which in result: peristalsis and finally the Adventitia/serosa is the smooth membrane consisting of two layers of epithelial cells which is used to secrete serous fluids. After it has traveled down the esophagus, it makes its way to the stomach. Like humans, a stingray’s stomach is very similar as it secretes acids and enzymes that ultimately digest the food bolus. In the stomach, muscles contract periodically churning the food to enhance digestion. Once this process is done, the now chyme makes its way into the anterior intestine. The anterior intestine also known as the Duodenum is the initial portion of the spiral intestine and plays a vital role in the chemical digestion chyme. Compared to bony species of fish, stingrays have in fact a much shorter anterior intestine, therefore the spiral valve is prolonged to compensate. It
receives the chyme from the stomach and mixes it with digestive juices in preparation for absorption in the spiral valve intestine. When in the spiral valve intestine, this is where most of the absorption occurs. The function of the organ is to increase the surface area for digestion and absorption of food, while also conserving space in the body for the development of embryos or egg capsules. Once absorption has been completed, the spiral valve in turn leads to the rectum and the anus (opening into the cloaca). This is where defecation occurs as well as a cavity where feces is able to exit. Stingrays maintain a lower concentration of salts in comparison the concentration that is found in seawater. Therefore when it also comes to defection, the ray’s two kidneys aid in excreting excess salts that are taken in with the food that they eat.
T. californicus is found from Alaska to Baja in small, shallow tidepools and tidal flats in the upper spray zone where they cannot avoid the full effect of visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Individuals assemble in areas of lower radiation at midday, yet have no preference to the intensity of light at dawn and dusk (Hartline and Macmillan 1995). These tiny arthropods inhabit all types of marine sediments from sand to fine mud and ooze. Along with plankton, T. californicus eats microscopic algae, protists, bacteria, diatoms, algae and microbes (McGroarty 1958). When the concentrations of the species in their habitats are high, T. californicus will turn to cannibalism for a food source. The nautilus eye present in the species is rich with fatty acids and provides a good food source for the animal.
Crunch, Crunch, Crunch. As you munch on those first few Cheetos the digestion process begins in your mouth. Here, mechanical digestion begins to reduce the size of the Cheeto and mixes the food particles with saliva. The tongue helps mix and move the pieces of Cheeto throughout the mouth. The salivary glands in the mouth also contribute to the breakdown of the Cheetos in the mouth. They secrete amylase and mucus. The parotid glands begin chemical digestion on the Cheetos. It secretes a clear, watery fluid that is high in amylase. The enzyme, amylase, begins to breakdown carbohydrates into disaccharides. The other two salivary glands, the submandibular and the sublingual, secrete saliva containing mucus, which binds and lubricates the Cheeto particles for easy swallowing. Now the food has been formed into a bolus with the help of saliva, the tongue, and teeth. Next the bolus travels into the pharynx, where the epiglottis closes off the top of the trachea so no food can enter. Then it moves on to the esophagus, where peristaltic waves push the food toward the stomach. The food enters the stomach through the cardiac sphincter at the end of the esophagus.
Many people see the Atlanta Braves in different lights, by asking diverse people about them, you will get some vastly dissimilar answers. If you ask any young person who the Atlanta Braves are, you will most likely hear something like this: The best overall baseball team since I’ve been alive. But if you ask an older wiser person who the Atlanta Braves are, here’s the answer you’ll probably get: A baseball team that has come back incredibly from they’re not so grand past, a great story of a worst to first baseball team. However if you go to an informed person, someone who knows all about the Atlanta Braves and ask them the same question, I’m sure you’ll get an answer like this: The Atlanta Braves are a team with rich history, great victories, and superb leadership that has allowed them to capture 12 consecutive division titles.
Lionfish have brown and white stripes covering their body (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish have broad pectoral fins, and long individual dorsal spines that contain the venom glands in the tips (NOAA, 2011). The venom of the lionfish is only intended as a defense mechanism and not meant to kill. The spines of the lionfish deliver a sting that can result in severe pain, respiratory distress, and even paralysis (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish are found in almost all tropical marine habitats consisting of warm waters due to their invasive behavior. Their native range covers a very large area from western Australia and Malaysia east to French Polynesia and off the east coast of Australia to the Kermadec Islands of New Zealand (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish have been found along the coast from Florida to North Carolina. The first lionfish was reported in South Florida waters in 1985 with additional sightings occurring until they were documented as established in the early 2000s (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish are very popular aquarium fish, especially in the U.S making them important to the aquarium trade. There are two possible ideas about how the lionfish were introduced into the Atlantic. The first is through ballast water, the water carried in the bellies of the enormous transport ships of intercontinental trade (Whitney, 2003). Larval lionfish have low oxygen and food needs which makes surviving movement in ballast water a possibility (Whitney, 2003). The second possibility is that a number of...
The Chicago Cubs are an interesting part of Illinois history, even if they are not always successful. The history of Wrigley Field, the famous players, and the stories behind every game are why Chicago loves the Cubs. It is the atmosphere of the friendly confines when you walk in through those gates. It is jumping out of your seat when the ball is being hit out of the park. It is things as little as singing the 7th inning stretch with all the other Cub fans around you. Rooting for the underdog is special, and that is why Cub fans are so loyal. The history, players, and stories of Chicago Cubs Baseball are the reasons why it is an important part of Illinois history.
Like other rays of the Urolophidae family, the yellow stingray has an almost round body, or disc body. It has a circular shaped pectoral fin and a short snout. The eyes are behind the snout. Yellow stingrays do not have a dorsal fin. It has a caudal fin which is around the tip of its tail. They have a long flat tail spine located just behind caudal fin. This tail spine is used as a poisonous barb, which is used only when needed in self-defense. They move by rippling their bodies in waves or by flapping their sides like wings allowing them to glide. The yellow stingray is considered to be part of the elasmobranch class which is made up of rays, sharks and skates that all have a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone. Due to the fact that the stingray is composed of cartilage, it is classified as an invertebrate. (Kennedy, 2008) Because they are elasmobranchs, these rays do not have a swim bladder which is a gas-filled sac found in the body of many bony fishes and is used to maintain and control their buoyancy. Instead, elasmobranchs maintain buoyancy with oil that they store in their livers. (Peters, 2008) The majority of yellow rays have either a pattern of dark green or brown on a pale background, or a pattern of white, yellow or golden spots on a dark green or brown background on the dorsal side. The bottom side of the disc is yellowish or brow...
Esophagus: Esophagus is a long straight tube which connects the pharynx to the stomach. Once the food has been reduced to a soft mush, the tongue pushes it to the throat which leads to a long straight tube called esophagus. The esophagus squeezes the mass of food with rhythmic muscle contraction called peristalsis which then forces the food to the stomach.
Fig1. shows the human digestive system or the alimentary canal with different organs. (ladyofHats 2006).
The Toronto Blue Jays baseball team was founded in the 1970s and experienced support from the fans during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1992 and 1993, the Jays won back-to-back World Series, yet in 1994, the team faced setbacks. The team had a losing streak, there was a major league baseball strike, and no World Series was played. At the same time, gambling came to Toronto, and the team had to compete for the fan's time. Also, players' salaries skyrocketed at a time when the Canadian dollar fell in value. How could the Toronto Blue Jays adjust ticket prices to improve financial performance and increase fan attendance?
...ve eaten, to break down the food into a liquid mixture and to slowly empty that liquid mixture into the small intestine. Once the bolus has entered your stomach it begins to be broken down with the help of the strong muscles and gastric juices which are located in the walls of your stomach. The gastric juices are made up of hydrochloric acid, water, and mucus- and the main enzyme inside of your stomach is what is known as pepsin, which needs to be surrounded in an acidic setting in order to do its job, that is to break down protein. Once the bolus has been inside of your stomach for long enough it begins to form into a liquid called chyme, and what keeps the chyme from flowing back into our esophagus are ring shaped muscles known as sphincters located at the beginnings and ends of the stomach and they have the task of controlling the flow of solids and liquids.
Imagine you are eating a sandwich containing wheat bread, ham, lettuce, and Swiss cheese. Do you ever wonder where the nutrients go from all of the previous listed ingredients? Well, when a bite of this sandwich is taken, the mouth produces a saliva enzyme called amylase. This enzyme immediately goes to work by breaking down the carbohydrates that are in the bread. Once, the bite is completely chewed, the contents then are swallowed and go down the esophagus and begin to head towards the upper esophageal sphincter and the is involuntarily pushed towards the stomach. The next passage for the sandwich is to go through the lower esophageal sphincter; which transports the sandwich into the stomach.
Have you ever wondered where your food has gone once you consume it? Through your digestive system where the mass of food undergoes a process called digestion. Digestion is the chemical and physical breakdown of food into forms such as energy or nutrients that can be used by the body’s cells (McKenzie, 2010). The whole process starts in the mouth. The mouth contains a watery substance called saliva. Saliva is important to the whole process of food digestion, because not only does it help with sensing taste, but it is also made up of enzymes that break down the fats and starches in food at a molecular level. The esophagus is a tube where swallowed food travels down to the stomach. The stomach is a muscular sac that acts as a blender and mixes food with acid, hydrochloric acid, which breaks down the swallowed chum and flushes the nutrients into the small intestine (Columbia University, 2010). The hydrochloric acid in the stomach is so powerful it can eat through a leather shoe. However, the stomach contains other chemicals, such as gastric acid, mucus and enzymes that also soften food (Sullivan, 2008). The result thus far in the process of digestion in the stomach is now called chime (Sullivan,
The human digestion system is very complex. It starts with the mouth, salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine, large intestine, then ends/exits with the anus. Each step is essential to the whole system. For example, the mouth chews food and mixes it with saliva produced by the salivary glands, and then the pharynx swallows chewed food mixed with saliva, this is followed by the food traveling through the esophagus to the stomach where the food gets a bath and mixes with acids and enzymes. After the stomach, the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder produce, stores, and releases bile and bicarbonates. Bile is produced in the liver and aids in digestion and absorption of fat while the gallbladder stores bile and releases it into the small intestine when needed. Following the process into the small intestine, this is where nutrients will be absorbed into the blood or lymph (most digestion occurs here). Next is the large intestine this is where water and some vitamins and minerals are absorbed. Finally, it is the end of the road, the anus. At...
The digestive system is a very important system in the human body. It is a group of organs that work together to turn food into energy and nutrients in the entire body. The food that was chewed in a humans’ mouth now passes through a long tube that is inside of the body that is known as the alimentary canal. The alimentary canal is made of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestines, and large intestines. Those few things are not the only important accessories of the digestive system there is also the teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.
The Sting is a classic story that explores revenge for the death of a good friend. Instead of them having revenge by retaliating in nature, Hill uses the main characters to get their revenge by coning the man who is responsible for the death, out of his money. Getting through the first parts of the film, one gets to be grabbed fully into the film (Michaels, 1993). Hill also breaks the conformity of the other films through setting the main characters as conmen. This is quite different from the other films given that the men needed to be seen as good but at the end, the opposite happened (Shaw, 2012).