It"s a bird, it"s a plane, it"s … a fish! Gliding through the ocean with flapping fins and polka-dot flair, the spotted eagle ray refuses to blend in. It doesn"t crawl along the seabed like its stingray cousins—it flies underwater. The species gets its name from—you guessed it—its protruding snout, which resembles an eagle"s beak, and its distinctive spotted back, which is unique to each individual, much like fingerprints. Their wing-like pectoral fins can span up to 10 feet. Near the base of the long tail are venomous spines, in case a predator gets too close. These rays aren"t aggressive, but they"re not defenseless either.
Spotted eagle rays in the Galápagos Islands
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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National Library Week
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A cliffside harbor in Sardinia
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Happy Independence Day!
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Everglades National Park turns 75
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No, it s not a leaf. Happy Look-alike Day
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Happy 50th for the National Trails System!
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A polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
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Let the games begin
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Look to the north sky tonight for the Perseids
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National Mushroom Month
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A cutting-edge art gallery opens in Paris
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Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
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Green fields of grain
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Drop in on International Surfing Day
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Celebrating Pi Day
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Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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It’s NASA’s 60th birthday
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Cable car station, Graubünden, Switzerland
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Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
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International Polar Bear Day
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Great horned owl fledglings
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World Octopus Day
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Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds, England
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Celebrating the first day of spring
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A rest stop for the birds
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An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
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Everybody loves World Turtle Day
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Groundhog Day
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Star Wars Day
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Bonifacio on the island of Corsica, France
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

