Eagle Rays
Unlike stingrays, which commonly rest on the bottom for long periods of time, eagle rays live in the open ocean, although they sometimes enter saltwater estuaries. Eagle rays prefer swimming near the surface of the water, but can be found as deep at 80 meters.
With their characteristic dark blue or black skin populated with bright white spots, eagle rays have a snub nose like a cow ray, and extremely long tails that can be three meters in length. They are often accompanied by remoras. Though their pectoral wings are shorter than stingrays, they are powerful swimmers even in strong currents.
Encounters:
Coming face to face with an eagle rays is common on many dives in tropical locations, particularly in the early morning, and late afternoon when they hunt along reef edges for food, when the angle of light is best to surprise their prey. Eagle rays rarely travel alone, and pairs are commonly seen, as well as groups of up to fifty individuals.
Scientific Name:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Elasmobranchii
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Myliobatidae
Genus: Aetobatus
species: Aetobatus narinari
Diet:
shrimps, crabs, octopus and worms
Basic Facts:
the spotted eagle ray is listed on CITES treaty;
they prefer waters 40 degrees N, and 35 degrees south;
eagle rays bear viviparously, up to four young at a time;
the tail spines are poisonous;
eagle rays can weigh up to 230 kilos.
Research and Conservation Projects:
Guy Harvey Research Institute: http://www.nova.edu/ocean/ghri/publications.html
CSIRO http://www.marine.csiro.au/LeafletsFolder/pdfsheets/53.pdf