TORPEDO RAY Anyone ever been shocked by one?

[DandyDon]

We have a much smaller electric ray here in Florida that is often called a "Battery Fish". We were playing Frisbee in the tidal pools North of Ponce Inlet when I landed on one with both feet. YEAOUCH! The tail burned the tops of my feet and I missed school for a few days as I couldn't walk or wear shoes.

Got to wonder about the poor, little ray...?!

 

[The Chairman]

I am shocked you would worry about the ray, Don.

 

[ozziworld]

When I was a new diver in Southern California, I had an encounter with a Torpedo Ray and was fortunate not have been zapped. Was too ignorant to know what it was.

Nice clear shallow water dive in the Channel Islands (can't remember which one) and we were just using up what remained of our air right under the boat. I believe it was The Peace.

Anyway, my buddy and I had this round shaped ray without the whip like tail. Instead it had a flat tail like a fish. Well, it just swam up to us and hung around. So we just did not feel threatened and started to pet it like a dog. Just enjoyed our discovery channel moment.

When we got on board the DM and crew were all shocked and said they were watching us from above. Seems, one of the photographers on board was just zapped several times by a Torpedo ray when it was startled by his strobe. It had wrapped itself on the camera and strobe and started zapping away. He was able to recover the rig after letting go.

Apparently this may have been the same Torpedo Ray and was just simply spent from the previous encounter I guess it did not have enough juice left for me and my buddy.

I like to think it just did not feel threatened by us and simply did not zap away defensively.

More likely it was spent and had not yet re-charged.

 

[DandyDon]

:shocked2: Quite an encounter, Oz. I've read of sharks reacting aggressively to strobes recharging and rays are in the same family.

I used to have a pet South African electric catfish in an aquarium. I hand fed him and stroked him gently, and he would send just a trickle of electricity that I could barely feel.

Here is a ray I snapped in Coz last month...

 

[ozziworld]

Yeah, I had encountered torpedo rays several times after but never attempted to touch one again.

 

[xjeslesx]

My buddy Keith got hit by a torpedo ray a few years back. He still has a large melt mark on the leg of his wet suit. He said after he got hit he bolted for the surface, not knowing what had happend, only 8 or 10' of water.
I personally have seen a few torpedo rays 4.5' to 5' long, never bothered me, just sat still and followed me with its eyes.
My guess is that you have to fin kick it or intentionall annoy it to get zapped.

 

[shoredivr]

What the heck kind of physiology do these fish have to store up electrical energy, does anyone know?

 

[DandyDon]

What the heck kind of physiology do these fish have to store up electrical energy, does anyone know?

All animals produce some electricity including us; some are more specialized. Freshwater electric fishes tend to be stronger since freshwater does not conduct as well as salt water. Many species create underwater radar (not sonar, and I bet the Navy would love to perfect the former) but can be fooled - like a FW knifefish given a clear jar will hide in plain view.

From Torpedo (genus) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The largest species is the Atlantic torpedo, Torpedo nobiliana, which can grow to a weight of 90 kilograms (200 lb) and deliver a 220-volt electric shock. Electric rays have patches of modified muscle cells called electroplaques that make up an electric organ. These generate an electric gradient, similar to the normal electric potential across most cell membranes, but amplified greatly by its concentration into a very small area. The electricity can be stored in the tissues, which act as a battery. The battery can be discharged in pulses. A ray can emit a shock into the body of a prey animal to stun it and make it easier to capture and eat, or into the body of a predator. Their tissue is often used in neurobiological research because of its unique properties.

and Electric ray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The electric ray is known to be the most electro-sensitive of all animals. Their eyes are situated on the top of their head, resulting in poor vision that must be compensated for with the use of other senses, including the detection of electricity. Many species of rays and skates outside the family of the electric ray have electric organs located in the tail, however, the electric ray possesses two large electric organs on each side of its head, where current passes from the lower to the upper surface of the body. The organs are governed by four central nerves from each side of the electric lobe, or specialized brain lobe, which is of a different color than the rest of the brain. The main nerves branch repeatedly then attach to the lower side of each plate in the batteries, which are composed of hexagonal columns, in honeycomb formation: each column consists of 140 to half a million gelatinous plates. In marine fish, these batteries are connected as a parallel circuit where freshwater batteries are found in series, transmitting discharges of higher voltage, as fresh water cannot conduct electricity as well as salt water. It is with such a battery that an average electric ray may electrocute larger prey with a current of up to 30 Amperes and a voltage of 50 to 200 Volts, a similar effect to dropping a mains powered hair dryer into a bathtub

 

[FennarioMike]

Me and 2 friends had one lingering around us off of Scituate, MA. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I noticed that it wasn't scared of us - so I figured that it must have a damn good reason and so we left it well enough alone. It hung around for about 10 minutes and it was a beautiful thing to watch. Later that day I looked it up and learned that it can deliver 220V! Whew!! I wouldn't want to make that thing mad!

 

[clownfishsydney]

In Australia we call them numbrays. I have been hit twice. The first time I was trying to take a photo of the worm-like creatures that have a symbiotic relationship with them when it deliberately attacked me. I had pins and needles for about 60 minutes and a sore shoulder for about 6 hours.

The other time I did not see it when I landed on the bottom under a wreck. This jolt was nowhere as strong and left no lasting effect.