Floating With An Eagle

Swimming was a joy in a relatively warm and flat ocean this morning. Turtles were everywhere and I even encountered a Spotted Eagle Ray on my return swim.

Unlike Manta Rays whose main feature is a huge open mouth, Eagle Rays actually appear to have a head (something which I was once accused of having when someone mistakenly thought they heard me speaking intelligently). While Mantas filter feed on plankton and microscopic organisms, Eagle Rays have impressive teeth used to crush the shells of the mullusks and crabs which they eat. I often see them rooting around in the sand for their prey. Before encountering this ray I found fragments of a very large Cowrie shell on the sea floor and wondered what could have crushed such a substantial shell. Now I know.