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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
spotted
eagle ray |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Chondrichthyes |
| ORDER: |
Myliobatiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Myliobatidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Aetobatus narinari |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Flattened (depressiform) body with dark brown dorsal
surface covered in white spots. Ventral surface
is white. Pectoral fins are extremely pronounced
- forming wing-like appendages used for primary
locomotion. Head is obvious, with flattened, tapered
snout. Caudal fin is heavily modified into a whip-like
form (typical of ray species). Venomous spines (1-5)
may be found along base of caudal fin's dorsal surface. |
| MALE |
External
claspers located on the far underside of the body
- forward of the caudal fin - distinguish males. |
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| SIZE: |
Length w/o tail: 1.2-2 m (4-6.5 ft) avg; 2.4 m (8
ft) max
Length w/ tail: 880 cm (28.8 feet) max
Width: 300 cm (9.8 ft) max |
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| WEIGHT: |
230 kg (507 lbs) max |
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| DIET: |
Bivalves, shrimp, crabs, annelids, octopus, whelks,
and small fish |
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| GESTATION: |
Species exhibits dioecism. Fertilization is internal.
Species is internal live bearer. |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
Up
to 4 pups are produced |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
4-6 years |
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| RANGE: |
Western Atlantic: Bermuda and North Carolina to
southern Brazil, including Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean,
and Antilles
Eastern Atlantic: Mauritania to Angola
Indo-Western Pacific: Red Sea and South Africa to
Hawaii, north to Japan, and south to Australia
Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California to Puerto Pizarro,
Peru, and the Galapagos Islands |
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| HABITAT: |
1-80 meters in tropical & sub-tropical marine
open and coastal waters; occasionally found in brackish
estuaries |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Data Deficient |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Spotted
eagle rays have been observed congregating in large
schools. |
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| 2. |
Spotted eagle rays are often observed cruising close
to the surface. They are also known to "porpoise"
- or leap - out of the water. |
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| 3. |
As with other ray species, spotted eagle rays possess
flat plates of teeth which are used to crush the
hardened shells of preys items such as bivalves
and crustaceans. |
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| 4. |
For
more information about sharks & rays, explore
the sharks
& rays info book. |
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Eagle rays may be taken as by-catch in commercial
fishing operations. |
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| |
|
|
| Bond,
Carl E. Biology of Fishes - Second Edition.
Saunders College Publishing, 1996. |
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Humann, Paul. Reef Fish Identification - Florida,
Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications,
Inc., 1992. |
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www.fishbase.org
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| www.noaa.gov |
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| www.panda.org |
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