21st century skills library 4 Graceful Swimmers chapter 1 It was a beautiful clear day and the sun warmed the ocean A small group of manta rays swam together through the water They sailed forward gracefully flapping their huge fins Suddenly one ray shot above the surface and high into the air It dropped back into the water headfirst Soon a second ray did the same thing A minute or two passed All of a sudden a huge manta flew into the air It flipped over in one great somersault and landed with a splash
exploring our oceans 5 A manta ray leaps from the ocean
21st century skills library 6 A group of stingrays swims near a reef Rays are fish that are related to sharks Like sharks they have no bones at all Instead their skeletons are made of strong flexible cartilage Their bodies are flattened and the fins on their sides are broad and floppy The manta ray is just one kind of ray Stingrays butterfly rays electric rays and sawfish are a few other kinds Most rays live in warm salty seas They are found in the Pacific Atlantic and Indian Oceans Some rays prefer to swim out in the open water Others lie quietly on the seafloor Only a few species live in rivers These rays are found in South America western Africa Southeast Asia and the United States
exploring our oceans 7 Some scientists suggest this leaping behavior by female rays is related to birthing her pups look again Scientists don’t know why some rays leap out of the water Some say the rays do this to clean things from their bodies Others think the rays are just playful What do you think
