jasper Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Mass Migration of StingraysLooking like giant leaves floating in the sea, thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico . The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters. Gliding silently beneath the waves, they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula . Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks. She said: 'It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind'It's hard to say exactly how many there were, but in the range of a few thousand']'We were surrounded by them without seeing the edge of the school and we could see many under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right time to experience nature at its best' Measuring up to 7ft (2.1 meters) from wing-tip to wing-tip, Golden rays are also more prosaically known as cow nose rays.]They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance. Despite having poisonous stingers, they are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools.The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000, clockwise from western Florida to the Yucatan [.Don't forget to share this with others! Let your friends enjoy the beauty of nature, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Looks like you just copied an email. You need to host the pictures somewhere, or upload them on Hybridz's albums. Sounds like some killer images though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasper Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasper Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RigilKent Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 wow that crazy very cool pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZZeee Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Wow... that's really cool. I didn't know they swam in such huge schools. It seems like the TV programs are always depicting them as solitary creatures, more or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Thats what I always thought too. Crazy! That would be an awesome sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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