Valkyrie
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« on: October 24, 2008, 12:37:55 AM » |
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Looking like giant leaves floating in the sea thousands of Golden Rays are seen here gathering off the coast of Mexico . The spectacular scene was captured as the magnificent creatures made one of their biannual mass migrations to more agreeable waters.
 Gliding silently beneath the waves they turned vast areas of blue water to gold off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula . Sandra Critelli, an amateur photographer, stumbled across the phenomenon while looking for whale sharks. She said: 'It was an unreal image, very difficult to describe. The surface of the water was covered by warm and different shades of gold and looked like a bed of autumn leaves gently moved by the wind. 'It's hard to say exactly how many there were, but in the range of a few thousand. 'We were surrounded by them, without seeing the edge of the school, and we could see many under the water surface too. I feel very fortunate I was there in the right place at the right time to experience nature at his best.' Measuring up to 7 ft (2.1 meters) from wing-tip to wing-tip, Golden Rays are also more prosaically known as Cow Nose Rays. They have long, pointed pectoral fins that separate into two lobes in front of their high-domed heads and give them a cow-like appearance. Despite having poisonous stingers, they are known to be shy and non-threatening when in large schools. The population in the Gulf of Mexico migrates, in schools of as many as 10,000, clockwise from western Florida to the Yucatan.
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Inara
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« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2008, 08:51:27 PM » |
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this is beyond cool - thanks!
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 - I N A R A - i aim to misbehave--<--<@ |
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Valkyrie
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« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2008, 01:43:02 AM » |
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I thought so too. I've never heard or seen this before! It's one of the things I love best about email & the net: all the things that are wondrous about the earth will eventually be revealed. :)
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Neoandrew1
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« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2008, 02:26:50 AM » |
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Very beautiful to look at, I bet Steve Urwin wished thats all he did................
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Valkyrie
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« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2008, 02:32:52 AM » |
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I don't think it was this type that killed him tho.
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Neoandrew1
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« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2008, 09:46:25 PM » |
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Yeah you are probably right Valk as there are a lot of breeds but the tail still looks like a long pointy barb lol
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Valkyrie
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« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2008, 11:14:21 PM » |
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Oh sure. And tbh I think if any were threatened they'd do the same thing. But this species of stingray is only found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru, so that is why I'm pretty sure it wasn't the Steve Irwin type.
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Archangel
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« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2008, 08:25:00 PM » |
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lots of dangerous creatures down under. as for these what a site to behold that would be something to see in person.
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