Stingray Dissection *Warning Graphic Images

[Dieselhybrid]

Lastly the gills and what I believe to be the heart were exposed. I expected more cartilage so that muscle bundle to the right may be abdominal muscle with the heart lying beneath. No abnormalities that I could recognize.
Phew we made it. There was perhaps more to examine but that's all I had in me between coordinating pictures and trying to work quickly. Next was to give her a proper burial and clean up before my lady came home.

Summary in the next few days.

 

[Cohazard]

I'm sorry for your loss and the lack of concrete explanation, but thank you for taking the time to share the dissection, it's really interesting.

 

[mr.gabanz]

thanks for sharing valuable information...

 

[MariaS]

Sorry for the loss @Dieselhybrid ....
Thank you for doing what you did.. ( im sure it was not easy) for the benefit of everyone ..
Much has been learned again.

Sorry if im out of line... i think this would make a good sticky thread.."anatomy of a stingray"?

 

[Cichlidae]

Hi DieselHybrid. Are you a doctor or veterinarian? I'm a vet myself and you did it really well. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

Fascinating, awesome job.

 

[fishguy306]

Thank you for all of the information @Dieselhybrid. I've been having a rough time lately, in the last three weeks I've lost three of my four P14s for unknown reasons. I found the first with a pink belly, it wasn't nearly as red as your girl's however. I chalked it up to her just being in the water several hours before I found her, but I don't know if that was the case or not.

I was encouraged to complete an autopsy of them and see if I found anything but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, so I have to give you credit for that.

I hope your losses are over, as well as mine. Thanks again

 

[Atfownz]

Sorry for the loss my friend but nevertheless, great job on the dissection! Very interesting anatomy.

 

[SHARK13]

Sorry again for your loss buddy... She was an absolute stunner! I'm glad I could be of some help. You did a hell of a write up and this should be a pinned post here. Mods can you please make this happen. Anyone could take this thread and do a dissection on their own!
Thank you for taking the time to do such an awesome job!

 

[Grinch]

Chondrichthyans regulate their buoyancy using oil from the liver (they do not have a swim bladder), so they all have pretty big livers, including elasmobranchs. The liver does not look abnormal to me, based on the pictures.

I've dissected many sharks, but I've never dissected a ray. Applying my shark experience to what I'm seeing in the pictures, what stands out to me is the number and size of eggs... there seem to be too many for the size of the female and some of them seem really big for for being unfertilized and given the size of the fish... but that could just be a ray thing. Assuming it's not, I'd suggest looking into this some more, she may have been egg-bound. Egg-binding can lead to all sorts of secondary problems, including the ventral irritation/inflammation in the pictures and the behavioral differences you noted.