The Habitat of Bat Rays
Bat rays are also known as California bat rays and and Californian eagle rays. They can grow to be six feet wide and weigh up to 200 pounds. These rays are uniformly black, brown or olive in color and they are common along the west coast of the United States.
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Geography
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Bat rays are native to the eastern Pacific ocean, ranging from northern Oregon down to the Gulf of California. They can also be seen around the Channel Islands and near the shores of Ecuador.
Features
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Bat rays tend to favor sandy or muddy bays but they can also be found in areas with rocky bottoms or in kelp forests. They tend to prefer waters that are between three and 150 feet but they can swim in deeper waters when they are traveling from place to place.
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Time Frame
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Bat rays will move towards the warmer waters near shore during the cool points of the day; and they will move towards the cooler, deeper water during the heat of the day. This behavior allows the bat ray to control its own internal temperature and to remain comfortable in the water.
Diet
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The bat ray finds its prey in the sandy bottom of the habitat. The bat ray will push its snout through the sand to find invertebrates, including clams, worms, abalone, shrimps and crabs. As they hunt for food, they are typically solitary but sometimes they do form large schools with other bat rays, smoothhound sharks or spotted eagle rays.
Threats
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There are several predators that share the bat ray's habitat. The sevengill shark and the white shark will both feed on mature bat rays and some juvenile sharks will team up to kill a larger bat ray. Sea lions will prey on immature bat rays.
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