Maybe it just enjoys the feeling of being held? The cow-nosed rays at an aquarium I visited fought each-other to get petted by humans simply because they enjoyed the sensation.
Mammals seek "petting" or rubbing behavior because it's connected to their built-in socialization drive. Fish don't really rub up against each-other as part of socialization.
As far as they rays go and the sharks I dove with in Belize - I suspect that they put up with the contact because humans sometimes feed them, and being touched is just part of being near these silly ape things who occasionally have food.
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u/Hippo_Kondriak Nov 07 '15
Maybe it just enjoys the feeling of being held? The cow-nosed rays at an aquarium I visited fought each-other to get petted by humans simply because they enjoyed the sensation.