• HOME
• COURSES
• DIVING
• DIVE SITES
• EQUIPMENT
• INJURIES
• LESSONS
• SEA LIFE

Home › Sea Creatures › Marine › Vertebrates › Rays › Eagle Ray

Interesting Facts about Eagle Rays

[Phylum: Chordata] [Class: Chondrichthyes] [Subclass: Elasmobranchii] [Order: Myliobatiformes]

There is a group of cartilaginous fishes known for their unique patterns of white spots scattered on a dark blue or black coloured diamond-shaped body and wing-like triangular pectoral fins.

This section contains facts and information about the twenty different species of eagle ray, such as where they live, what they eat, and how they reproduce.

Eagle Ray Species Distribution and Habitats

Even though most marine rays are bottom-dwellers, the eagle ray is in fact semi-pelagic and travels in schools during migrations.

Hence, they spend most of their lives swimming around in open oceans instead of living close to the sea bottom.

Keep in mind...

There are at least 20 eagle ray species and they're all chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fishes). So, they are related to sharks.

For example, the common eagle ray (Myliobatis aquila) is an adaptable creature that lives in cosmopolitan distribution. You might find them in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and especially in south-western regions of the Indian Ocean.

Eagle Ray Behaviour and Characteristics

It's fair to say eagle rays don't have the same appearance as most marine vertebrates. But, despite having a wide and flat body shape, they are actually a fish that belongs with the shark phylum.

Plus, being a cartilaginous species means they do not have skeletal bones. Instead, cartilage material (like the one inside a human nose) supports the rhomboidal shape of their body.

Moving on...

The different species of eagle rays vary in size and width, from half a metre to five metres long (including an extra long tail) with a wingspan up to seven (7) metres (23 feet) across.

But, the typical size of a large adult common eagle ray is about 180 centimetres (6 feet) in total length with a disc width measuring up to eighty (80) centimetres (2.6 feet). But in all examples, females tend to grow bigger than their male counterparts.

Like most eagle rays, the bull ray (Myliobatis aquila) has a blunt and rounded snout with an extended slender tail - which can measure up to 70% of the total body length. Yet, despite having a large spine at the base, they do not have a tail fin.

The mid dorsal groove contains the glandular tissue needed for venom injection via the excretory channel. It can cover up to 40% of the tail length in some species.

Fun Fact: Like almost all members of the ray fish family, eagle rays are superb swimmers and capable of actually breaching the surface of the water by several meters. In most cases, fishes that can leap or jump completely out of the water often do so to escape their predators - or for fun!

What Do Eagle Rays Eat?

The feeding strategies used by different marine rays varies according to the species. Some use their strong jaws to crush critters with hard shells. Others use cephalic lobes to filter feed on planktonic organisms.

Most of the benthic stingrays (residing on or near the sea floor) are typical ambush hunters, using the sit-and-wait strategy. Once a prey swims by - and gets close enough - they will capture it by stealth and suction (like many of the shark species).

Here's the thing:

Eagle rays are carnivores that have strong jaw teeth used to crush marine mollusks and benthic invertebrates with tough outer shells, especially:

• Clams
• Crabs
• Crustaceans
• Insects
• Mussels
• Oysters
• Sea pens (marine cnidarians)
• Shrimps
• Worms

Pro Tip: There are few examples of marine vertebrates that are as intelligent at foraging than the eagle ray. They have become very skilled at using their pointed snout to dig for food that is buried and entirely out of sight on the ocean floor.

Eagle Ray Reproduction

For the most part, female rays are ovoviviparous and only give birth one time per year. Even so, they can have up to six (6) live young each time (although litters of two to five are more common).

As pups grow and develop inside the mother, they are large enough to resemble a miniature version of the adult when it is actually born into the water column. From then on, the mother leaves the young ray to fend for itself.

Threats and Predators

The venomous tail spines of some species, especially the bluespotted ribbontail ray, can cause severe injuries for humans. Another section contains more information about fish spine injury and first aid treatment.

Despite being a highly intelligent sea creature, the threats to the survival of most eagle ray species are plentiful. Some of the most serious activities that threaten their continued existence, include:

• Human behaviour (e.g. fished for their meat and gill plates)
• Overfishing and bycatch
• Use in Chinese medicines (despite a lack of verifiable scientific evidence)

In the wild, eagle rays can live for more than twenty (20) years. Nonetheless, large sharks, killer whales (orcas), and even oceanic dolphins (Pseudorca crassidens) will eat some of the ray species.

Eagle Ray Species List

Note: The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the conservation status of most eagle rays as being Vulnerable (e.g. Pacific eagle rays) with many listed as either Endangered (e.g. spotted eagle rays) or Critical (e.g. shortnose eagle rays).

Divers also enjoyed reading about...