Article Nº 3698 Fish Vol. III · p. 668
Devil ray (Dicerobatis giornae)
Original title: Urjamanta (Dicerobatis giornae)
The devil ray, the largest ray seen near the Madeiran coast, which fishermen harpoon because they consider it dangerous to people.
A fish of the family Myliobatidae that sometimes appears near the coast of Madeira. It is the largest of the rays and can in some cases measure about 2 metres. Fishermen harpoon it whenever they can, because it is considered an animal harmful to man, although the misdeeds of which they accuse it lack confirmation. It is commonly held among fishermen that when a devil ray manages to catch a man, it pins him beneath its body and releases him only once he is dead.
Places mentioned