Largest potamotrygonidae possibly largest fresh water ray in world

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calgaryflames

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Nov 10, 2009
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For many years I've always come to believe that potamotrygon barychura was the largest fresh water elasmobranch in the world. The himantura giant Mekong rays are believed to live in saltwater and brackish estuaries making them non exclusive to fresh water.

..... But In my recent readings discovered a undescribed ray not classified yet but very similar to the paratrygon and yet very rare in the trade so far . Its rumored to attain widths of greater than 3 meters across.
Thats just about ten feet . The largest recorded Mekong ray is 2 meters 6-6" . This udescribed species from Peru would make the barychura and giant Mekong ray look like a dawarf and be exclusive to freshwater . This has been described as the coly ray . There was one specimen I got dig up a guy in Taiwan had successfully exported one .
Theirs not much known about this ray but if it's correct this would make it the worlds largest freshwater elasmobranch. I've also found studies on some of the larger small eyed species from amazon basin documented maturity in these rays being 35 years . This is more than likely where the myth of these rays being impossible to breed comes from. Not many people are able to successfully export these and keep them living long let alone keep them for 30 years or Longer.

This potamotrygonidae is described as a totally different unclassified species but has been given the name coly ray . It's not a paratrygon or plesiotrygon .



Does anybody know anything about this ray? I think one of the more experienced older ray keepers in USA davidw used to have a pretty large one .

All I have to say is I hope Jeremy wade Is reading this lol :)
 
Apex preditor In the form of a giant mat on the bottom of the river.

If any of you guys are familiar with keeping and feeding any of these small eyed para/plesiotrygon they are like a mat on the bottom and waits till something swims over it and wham!!
Emagine one the size of your living room waiting in a muddy river the thing could eat almost anything .
My 12" ceja takes down really big feeders and can also eat alot too.

I've got videos of feeding my cejas on you tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7NkvG-pOyE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Emagine 10 feet of that !!!
It could take small dolphins lol
 
That would be insane! 10 foot ray taking down a small caiman or somrthing????
you said someone has one in a personal collection???

I know rapps had a baby giant ray a while back for sale.
 
I don't know if a cayman would ever get caught out in open water like that . From what I take it's from open water probably main river systems .like Mekong rays .
 
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