Mumburarr whipray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mumburarr whipray |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Urogymnus
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| Species: |
acanthobothrium
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The mumburarr whipray (Urogymnus acanthobothrium) is a type of whipray that lives in the waters of northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea. Scientists officially described this large ray in 2016.
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How the Mumburarr Whipray Was Discovered
Scientists first found a small piece of this ray in 1999. They were actually studying tapeworms in fish at the time! More samples were collected later by different research groups in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Finally, in 2016, scientists officially named and described the mumburarr whipray.
What Its Name Means
The name Mumburarr means 'stingray' in the Limilngan language. This language is spoken by the Minitja people, who are native traditional landowners. Scientists chose this name to thank them for helping find the rays.
The second part of its scientific name, acanthobothrium, comes from the tapeworms that helped discover this ray. Scientists found four types of Acanthobothrium tapeworms that only live in this whipray.
What the Mumburarr Whipray Looks Like
This whipray is very large. It can grow up to 1.6 meters (about 5 feet) wide!
It looks a bit like its relative, the mangrove whipray. However, the mumburarr whipray has a longer snout and tail. Its snout is also more angled. Unlike the mangrove whipray, it does not have white spots on its back or a black edge on its belly.
Mumburarr whiprays can be different colors on top. They might be grey-white, grey-brown, or yellow-brown. When the first one was collected, it was yellow-brown. Its tail is all white past the sting, which stands out from its body color.
Where the Mumburarr Whipray Lives
This whipray lives in ocean waters and in salty river mouths (called estuaries). You can find it in northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea. It usually lives in water that is 2 to 60 meters (about 6 to 197 feet) deep.
It has been seen in the Arafura Sea near the Wessel Islands. It also lives in rivers within Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. Other places it has been found include the Cambridge Gulf and Ord River in Western Australia, and the Gulf of Papua.
The mumburarr whipray shares its home with other rays. These include the porcupine ray and the freshwater whipray.
