Rays are a 400 species group (superorder Rajomorphii or
Batoidea) of cartilaginous fishes divided into seven families.
The largest are the manta rays, also known as devil rays
and devilfish, due to the horns on their head. Rays are
extremely flat but closely related to the sharks. According
to recent DNA analyses the catshark is more closely related
to the rays than to other sharks. Young rays look very
much like young sharks.Rays are flat-bodied, and, like
sharks, are a species of cartilaginous marine fish, meaning
they have a boneless skeleton made of a tough, elastic
substance. Rays also are like sharks in having slot-like
body openings called gill slits that lead from the gills.
Ray's gill slits lie under the pectoral fins on the underside,
and a shark's are on the sides of the head. Most rays
have a flat, disk-like body, with the exception of the
guitarfishes and sawfishes, while most sharks have a streamlined
body. Many species of ray have developed their pectoral
fins into broad flat wing-like appendages.
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