Spotted eagle ray

Aetobatus narinari · The spotted eagle ray is a cartilaginous fish found globally in tropical regions, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Also called White-spotted eagle ray, Bonnet ray, Bonnetray, Maylan.

Spotted eagle ray
Photo: laszlo-photo, CC BY 2.0
Spotted eagle ray
Photo: Jon Worth, CC BY-SA 2.0
Spotted eagle ray
Photo: john norton, CC BY 2.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassChondrichthyes
OrderMyliobatiformes
FamilyAetobatidae
GenusAetobatus
SpeciesAetobatus narinari

Where it lives

Warm shallow coasts and bays of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Fun facts

  • Spotted eagle rays carry 2 to 6 venomous barbed spines on their long tails, just behind the pelvic fins.
  • These rays are famous for leaping out of the water, and jumps into boats have even proven fatal to a person in the Florida Keys.
  • Uniquely among rays, they dig for food with their snouts, blowing clouds of sand out through their gills.
  • The largest spotted eagle rays can grow a wingspan of up to 3 meters and weigh as much as 230 kilograms.

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