The ocellate river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) exploits vortices of sediment to bury into the substrate

Abstract

Particle image velocimetry and video analysis were employed to discern and describe the mechanism used by the stingray Potamotrygon motoro to bury into the substrate. P. motoro repeatedly and rapidly pumped the body up and down while folding the posterior portion of the pectoral fins up and over, drawing water in and suspending sediment beneath the pectoral disc. As the fins folded up and over, vortices of fluidized sediment travelled along the ventral surface of the fins toward the fin tips, and were then directed onto the dorsal surface of the fins and towards the dorsal midline of the fish, where they dissipated and the sediment settled over the dorsal surface of the ray. As displacement and speed of the body pumping and finbeat motions increased, the speed of the sediment translating across the dorsal surface increased, and accordingly, sediment coverage of the dorsal surface increased. Mean sediment coverage was 82.5% {+/-} 3.0 S.E.M, and appeared to be selectively controlled, whereby the pectoral fins tended to bury more than the body, head and tail, and the body more than the head and the tail. In the most vigorous burying events, vortices of sediment shed from each fin collided at the midline and annihilated, reorienting the sediment flow and sending jets of sediment towards the head and the tail, covering these locations with sediment. Hence, this study demonstrates that the mechanism of burying employed by P. motoro permits effective control of sediment vortices and flows to modulate the extent of burying.