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Where are the gill openings located on rays?
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chondrichthyan
Southern stingrays (Dasyatis americana or Hypanus americanus) are found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
On rays, the five gill openings are located on the underside of their flattened, disklike bodies.123
This placement is a key feature that distinguishes rays from sharks, which typically have a more fusiform shape with gill slits positioned differently. In rays, the edges of the enlarged, winglike pectoral fins attach to the sides of the head in front of these gill openings. While rays possess these ventral gill slits for respiration, they also utilize spiracles—large openings located on the upper surface of the head—to take in water, which is then directed to the gills.1234