After a beach walk on Longboat Key, Florida, I stopped to survey the flat, blue Gulf of Mexico. Scanning with my binoculars, I noticed a large splash about 100 yards offshore and focused on that location. Within a minute the creature leaped again and I was able to identify it as a large ray; a third leap further confirmed the sighting and suggested that the ray had a wingspan of at least 5-6 feet.
While this was my first experience with a leaping ray, their habit of doing so is well known and well documented; indeed, a search on Google or YouTube turns up plenty of photos and videos. The historical record also includes unfortunate injuries and at least one death related to large rays (up to 300 pounds or more) jumping into fishing boats. On the other hand, there is no scientific consensus as to why the rays leap in the first place; explanations range from mating behavior to escaping predators (i.e. sharks). Of course, these marine creatures may simply be stretching their muscles or engaging in playful activity.
Once again, I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to witness a natural behavior that, while not rare, is unlikely to be observed by the casual beachcomber. Unfortunately, this is true of many natural spectacles; if we don't visit a variety of ecosystems and remain attentive to the possibility of unexpected sightings, we will never fully appreciate nature's spectacular diversity. After all, it took numerous visits to rocky coasts and sandy shores over more than sixty years before I saw a ray leap from the sea.
