A team of Swedish and Australian researchers observed a mangrove mangrove “talking” as it moved the breathing openings near its eyes, known as spiracles, in a video. The noise produced by sting rays, even sharks, is unheard of, but seeing the ray move away from the camera suggests that the clicking may be a sign of distress or a defense mechanism The team, however, isn’t entirely sure how the sting ray makes the noise, but suggests it could be by contracting the spiracles and opening its gills at the same time. Scroll down for videos The noise production of sting rays, even sharks, is not heard, but a video suggests that the noises are barely missed because the creatures make a loud clicking sound. In the photo is a snapshot of the ray captured on video “Whether the sound production is achieved through rapid expulsion of water or another internal mechanism is plausible, but remains to be seen and further research is needed into the internal morphology of these rays,” says the study published in the journal Ecology. The path to this historic discovery began in 2018 when marine scientist Joni Pini-Fitzsimmons, who is leading the work, received a video of the mangrove. Without a second thought, they put it on the back burner for another time. However, it wasn’t until they heard the same loud click from another mangrove in a clip shared on Instagram that the team decided to do some digging.
The team, however, isn’t entirely sure how the sting ray makes the noise, but suggests it could be by contracting the spiracles and opening its gills at the same time Pini-Fitzsimmons and her colleagues sifted through reams of sting ray data to find anything resembling the noises. “As far as we know, it’s not something that’s been recorded or published before,” Pini-Fitzsimmons said. “I’m not entirely sure why that would be.” Pini-Fitzsimmons theorizes that people had previously heard the sound while snorkeling, but because the equipment made its own noises, the click was ignored. “Other similar species may also produce sounds, but anecdotal records may not yet have come to light. Thus, our work may serve to bring to light further examples from the public and researchers,” the study states. Stingrays are found all over the world and come in different sizes, with one caught in Cambodia believed to be the largest freshwater fish in the world. In June, an angler hooked a giant tick weighing 661 pounds and measuring 13 feet long, breaking the previous record for a catfish, discovered in Thailand in 2005, which was 646 pounds. Stingrays are found all over the world and come in different sizes, with one caught in Cambodia believed to be the largest freshwater fish in the world. In June, an angler hooked a massive barbel that weighed 661 pounds and was 13 feet long The stingray, nicknamed ‘Boramy’ or ‘full moon’ in the Khmer language, was caught in the Mekong River which is famous for hosting various species of large fish. A team of scientists from the Wonders of Mekong research project helped tag, measure and weigh the ray before it was released back into the river. Wonders of the Mekong leader Zeb Hogan told AFP: “The world’s big fish are at risk of extinction. They are high value items. They take a long time to mature. So if they are caught before they mature, they don’t have a chance to reproduce. “A lot of these big fish are migratory, so they need large areas to survive. They are affected by things like habitat fragmentation by dams, apparently affected by overfishing. “So about 70 percent of the world’s giant freshwater fish are threatened with extinction, as well as all Mekong species.”