Bowmouth guitarfish

Rhina ancylostomus · The bowmouth guitarfish is a large, rare ray with shark-like fins that lives in the tropical coastal waters of the western Indo-Pacific.

Also called Shark ray, Mud skate, Sharkfin skate, Bowmouth Wedgefish.

Bowmouth guitarfish
Photo: Bobo Boom, CC BY 2.0
Bowmouth guitarfish
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0
Bowmouth guitarfish
Photo: Jim Capaldi from Springfield PA, United States of America, CC BY 2.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassChondrichthyes
OrderRhinopristiformes
FamilyRhinidae
GenusRhina
SpeciesRhina ancylostomus

Where it lives

Tropical coastal waters of the western Indo-Pacific, from South Africa and the Red Sea to Japan and Australia, down to 90 m.

Fun facts

  • This heavy ray can grow up to 2.7 metres long and weigh as much as 135 kilograms.
  • It swims like a shark, pushing itself along with its tail.
  • Its flat teeth are arranged in bands that let it crush hard-shelled prey such as crabs.
  • Thorny ridges protect its head and back, and it may ram anything it sees as a threat.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).