October 28, 2026
SOURCE | Mongabay
WRITTEN BY | Team Mongabay-India
With their flattened bodies and wing-like fins, rays are a striking sight when they glide in ocean waters. But many rays face an uncertain future: a recent study found that most Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) in Indian waters along the Bay of Bengal fall outside marine protected areas, leaving critical breeding and nursery habitats vulnerable.
Rays are cartilaginous fish closely related to sharks. Found worldwide, they are mostly marine, though a few species live in freshwater lakes and rivers. Most ray species are benthic (dwelling on the ocean floor), while a few live in the open ocean. Depending on the species, they feed on zooplankton, krill, fish, molluscs, worms, crustaceans, and marine mammals, thereby shaping seabed communities and cycling nutrients.
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