The pink whipray (Himantura fai) is the only species of stingray know to engage in this sort of piggybacking behavior. In fact, multiples pink whiprays piggyback on others rays of the same species, and this is unexpected, elasmobranch, in general only interact when they try to eat each other.
The pink whipray is a large ray that occurs in coastal soft-sediment habitats in the Indian Ocean.
But apparently they love it, and
pink whipray
piggyback in another species. Pictures don’t lie.
The reasons for this behaviour are unknown, one possibility is that piggybacking is a predator defence strategy that allows the smaller rays to appear larger than they actually are and breaks up silhouettes on which predators can focus. There may also be some hydrodynamic or foraging advantage to the smaller rays in travelling with larger species in this manner, although this does not explain why these rays piggyback on other rays resting on the seabed or at cleaning stations.
Photo b)
Pink whiprays piggybacking on a blotched fantail ray (Taeniurops meyeni) at a cleaning station.
photos by thomas peschak and shawn heinrichs from the world’s largest sanctuary for manta rays in indonesia, a reserve covering more than two million square kilometres of ocean.
manta rays, who face increased threats from targeted and bycatch fisheries, are gentle and social animals, and with their tendency to feed near the ocean’s surface and interact with humans, it is hoped that rise in tourism will more than offset the financial loses to the fisheries.
notes shawn, “to spend time in the company of a manta ray is both a humbling and incredibly moving experience. they are massive, powerful creatures, yet are incredibly gentle and curious. if approached correctly, they will interact and dance with you for hours on end.”
unfortunately, those same friendly tendencies make the rays easy targets for fishermen who hunt them for their gills, which fetch 500 dollars a kilo on the chinese market. being slow to both mature and reproduce, it doesn’t take long for manta ray populations to be hunted to depletion.
