It flew over the river, sucking up whatever was unfortunately in the air above it. The moon was bright and full, casting a glow on everything. As the lunar light glinted off the Flying Ray, it almost turned invisible; transforming it into a ghostly spectre, it revealed something new: bright spots and splotches of cyan materialized on its belly like a cheetah's back. Dipping back into the shadows, its mouth stretched wide. Ripples of gills fluttered on its sides as it filtered its gulp, cleaning the air.
Table of Contents
Where are they seen?
Is it an alien?
What does it look like?
What types have been seen?
What do they do each night?
How do they fly?
What do they eat?
What to look for?
Where are they seen?
States Observed Within: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois
These Flying Rays remain attached to only one geographical location: the Ohio River. They typically avoid light, especially bright cities; yet they can be spotted on the fringe of residential or commercial areas.
Is it an alien?
The origin of these animals is unknown. Some speculate that they are interdimensional visitors, Earth residents (either some sort of Atmospheric Beast or undiscovered river animal), or alien travelers. The Earth Theory proposes that they are part of a vast, hidden ecosystem in the skies, either evolving here and connected to all other Earth life, or were transported here from elsewhere, having other genetic/planetary origins.
What does it look like?
Difficult to spot and view (as they are nocturnal, light-avoiding creatures), descriptions of these animals vary. Across all description types (or "species"), they are regarded as having a smooth, plump body that is larger than a standard 21st-century car. The color of the creature is gray; they are lighter on top and darker on the bottom. Flying Rays have a short tail and flat, triangular wings that connect seamlessly to the body—which is without feathers or hair.
An Aerial Manta Ray can be anything described as being flat-bodied, diamond or triangular shaped, wide-mouthed, and having a 'flinging band' flight method.
What types have been seen?
A.M.R.'s are categorized based on their shape and hide coloration/pattern:
Thorned Flying Ray [N. spina]
The smallest of their kind, Thorned Rays grow no larger than 15 ft from wingtip to wingtip. They have been documented in a variety of colors: light gray, tan, brown, umber, tawny, and taupe. On their bellies reside wavy, horizontal stripes of a darker hue and two fin-like flaps of skin. These 'fins' can be stretched to slow down, steer, or make a landing.
Thorned Rays can be easily identified not only by their hide, but also by their tail shape. This species has a short, stubby, straight tail that is wider at the base than any other A.M.R; the tail darkens in color the further away from the body it is. A third identifying characteristic is its spine. Thorned Rays have a line of small, round, bony protrusions that halve the creature from nose to tail tip; the hide above the spine is a duller, lighter color, forming a single, subtle, vertical stripe.
Paddleboat Flying Ray [N. paxillum]
The largest of the Flying Rays, Paddleboats have two wavy, semi-circle fins connected to the middle of a slightly 'U'-curved tail; this addition helps the larger animal slow down, change direction, or make a landing when stretched. Aside from their tail shape, this species can be easily identified by its hide, which is spotted or speckled and gray or gray-blue. Paddleboats are 21 ft long on average; the largest documented was 23 ft long and 3,300 lbs.
Shortfin Flying Ray [N. pisciculus]
Shortfin Flying Rays are less angular in shape and more rounded, bubbly. This species grows no longer than 16 ft and displays a banded pattern on its hide. Composed of blocky, horizontal bars of differing length, Shortfins display hues of pale gold, beige, and muted copper; the darkest of these tones make up the bands across their belly. Similar to Paddleboats, Shortfins have a finned tail; instead of in the middle of the tail, however, the Shortfin's stretchy fins extend from the middle to the tail tip. A larger section of hide, the skin causes the creature's tail to appear diamond-shaped. The Shortfin's specialized tail can assist in speeding up or slowing down, changing direction, performing loops, and landing.
Shortfins can be identified based on one other characteristic: their eyes. The largest of all A.M.R.s, Shortfins have bulging, marble-sized eyes near the mouth and halfway down the belly (the lowest positioning of Flying Ray secondary eyes).
Bedeviled Flying Ray [N. malum]
Bedeviled Flying Rays are very similar in shape, size, and color to Thorned Flying Rays. They are, however, slightly larger (growing up to 17 ft in length), have longer, thinner tails, and a spotted hide. Bedeviled Flying Rays have been documented in a variety of colors: light gray, dark gray, tan, brown, umber, tawny, walnut, and taupe. The spotted pattern on the bellies of this species is consistent across all individuals; spots are evenly spread out and of a similar size, making a uniform pattern.
Unlike Thorned Rays, these Flying Rays do not have pronounced, bony spines that split their form in half, but a deep, smooth depression. Additionally, they are the only A.M.R. species without fins; while they are the fastest species, these animals cannot fly as agilely, make fast/tight turns, or make unanticipated maneuvers. The tail of this species is slanted on each half; while not as effective as other species' fins, the triangular tail assists in making turns.
Bedeviled Flying Rays are named for their more sinister appearance. The Ohio River Flying Ray is a Bedeviled Flying Ray.
What do they do each night?
These Rays only appear over the Ohio River at night. Silently, without theatrics, they phase into the atmosphere. Above the water and its banks, they flit through the air to filter feed. Before sunrise, they disappear as quickly and soundlessly as they arrived. They do little else and are always seen alone.
How do they fly?
Aerial Manta Rays traverse the skies via a flight method known as 'rubber banding.' When taking off from the ground or a perch, they stretch their triangular wings outward and forward as far as possible; tightly expanded, the sudden release propels them. The animals glide through the air with this momentum, sometimes catching a current to maintain height or speed. Flying Rays may use this motion while high up in the air to gain speed or altitude. This flight method is reminiscent to the flicking of a rubber band.
Lightweight, especially for their size, air flows through these organisms' mouths and out of gills, helping them sustain flight. Gills can be constricted or relaxed to allow more or less air to pass through; when slowing, the Flying Ray slightly inflates like a parachute, descending gently. The beings, when seen, display grace and complexity in their flight patterns, making tight turns, wide arches, deep dives, and figure-eight turnarounds.
What do they eat?
Flying Rays are filter feeders, capturing a lot of tiny pieces of food in their wide net of a mouth. A.M.R.'s consume not only bugs, but pollen and other airborne particles - whatever is captured!
What to look for?
The first thing typically seen in Flying Ray encounters are their tiny, round eyes above the corners of their mouth—which are glowing orange-red and located on the being’s underside. Some report feeling pulses of sound near the creatures, but hearing no high-pitched or low-pitched noises (indicating that the creatures may communicate in extremely low tones). Less common, bright colors may be visible on the body; in the light, it may also take on a translucent form like a jellyfish—the wings, head, and tail more transparent than its core.
All sightings last less than 15 minutes and are comprised of seeing the creature fly, eat, and/or disappear. There have been a few reports of A.M.R.'s chasing, following, or looping over vehicles, seemingly toying with them and avoiding contact at the last minute.
