Pink Whipray

Pink Whipray

Guardian: Luca Espilondo

Himantura fai

This particular ray will gather in large groups and sometimes ten of them can be found lying on top of each other in a pile. When humans do this, the victim is the one who is squashed on the bottom, for rays however the lucky one (or perhaps the most honoured one) goes on the bottom for they will be the most protected.

So the next time your mates pile on top of you don’t think ‘why do they always pick on me?’ think to yourself ‘I am a stingray and they honour me by protecting me from predators’. Let the squishing be a feeling of safety and honour and if it is still a little demoralising, imagine a large Tiger Shark eating the heavy guy on the top.