Stingray's camuoflage, sting, and its adaptations to be more successful in hunting - Research Paper Example

Adaptation can either be physiological or structural. Structural adaptation entails the development of the structural traits due to the evolution by natural selection and mutation. On the other hand, physiological adaptation entails the development of the physiological traits on evolution of the structural traits. Physiological adaptation refers to adjustment of the living matter to the conditions in the surrounding environment and to the other living things during the lifetime of an organism.

It describes the systematic response of an organism to specific external stimulus to maintain homeostasis and entails the biological change in an organism towards response on conditional changes. Physiological adaptation improves the ability by an organism to cope with the changing environment, and it entails hibernation, migration or emission of smell among others (Chisholm, Whittington & Fischer, 2004). Stingrays refer to flat marine fish mostly in warm water. Stingray is a group of fish related to the shark family.

They are cartilaginous fishes classified in the subclass elasmobranchii and order mliobatiformes. They consist of eight families; deep water stingray (plesiobatidae), six gill stingray (hexatrygonidae), round rays (urotrygonidae), stingarees (urolophidae), butterfly rays (gymnuridae), whiptail stingrays (dasyatidae), eagle rays (myliobatidae), and river stingrays (potamotrygonidae) (Diaz & James, 2008). Stingrays live in both marine and freshwater habitats. Stingray has stinger at the tail end, which pierces the prey before escape.

The stinger is razor-sharp, serrated, attached and barbed to the tail. The stingray can whip the stinger extremely quickly when attacking the prey (Dulci, Jardas & Onofri, 2003). The thin tail is agile and extremely flexible. The sting size is dependent on the species of the Stingray. Stingray is carnivorous in