Rays
Scientific Name: Taeniurops meyeni (also known as the Black-blotched stingray).
Type: Stingray.
Habitat: Coral reefs, lagoons, and sandy bottoms from shallow to moderate depths.
Diet: Bottom feeders—crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.
How to Spot: Distinct marbled or blotched patterns on its back and a large, broad body.
Where Found: Indo-Pacific region—Australia, Indonesia, Maldives, and Red Sea.
Scientific Name: Taeniurops meyeni (also known as the Black-blotched stingray).
Type: Stingray.
Habitat: Coral reefs, lagoons, and sandy bottoms from shallow to moderate depths.
Diet: Bottom feeders—crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.
How to Spot: Distinct marbled or blotched patterns on its back and a large, broad body.
Where Found: Indo-Pacific region—Australia, Indonesia, Maldives, and Red Sea.
Scientific Name: Mobula tarapacana and related Mobula species.
Type: Pelagic ray (related to manta rays).
Habitat: Open oceans, typically deep water but can be nearshore during feeding.
Diet: Zooplankton and small fish.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.
How to Spot: Long, slender body with horn-like cephalic fins, smaller than manta rays but often seen in groups.
Where Found: Tropical and temperate oceans, notably near the Azores, Gulf of Mexico, and the Indian Ocean.
Scientific Name: Mobula birostris (Giant Oceanic Manta Ray) and Mobula alfredi (Reef Manta Ray).
Type: The largest ray species.
Habitat: Open ocean and coral reefs, from surface waters to deep zones.
Diet: Plankton and small fish.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.
How to Spot: Enormous wingspan (up to 7 meters), triangular pectoral fins, and cephalic fins curled like horns.
Where Found: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans—Maldives, Mexico, Hawaii, Indonesia.
Scientific Name: Torpedo nobiliana (Atlantic Torpedo) and related Torpedo species.
Type: Electric ray (can produce electric shocks).
Habitat: Coastal waters, sandy or muddy seafloor, sometimes at great depths.
Diet: Fish and invertebrates stunned with electric discharges.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.
How to Spot: Round, thick body with small eyes on top and large pectoral fins fused to the head. May stay still on the bottom.
Where Found: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Indian Ocean.
Scientific Name: Varies; common species include Dasyatis americana (Southern Stingray).
Type: Benthic (bottom-dwelling) ray.
Habitat: Sandy and muddy coastal bottoms, estuaries, and shallow reefs.
Diet: Crustaceans, mollusks, and small fish.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.
How to Spot: Flat, diamond-shaped body with a long tail featuring a venomous spine. Often half-buried in the sand.
Where Found: Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and tropical coastal waters globally.
Scientific Name: Mobula mobular (and closely related species in the Mobula genus).
Type: Cartilaginous fish (related to manta rays).
Habitat: Open oceans and deep offshore waters (temperate and tropical seas).
Diet: Mainly plankton, small fish, and crustaceans, filter-fed through gill rakers.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous (eggs hatch inside the mother, and she gives live birth).
How to Spot: Look for large, triangular pectoral fins and horn-like cephalic fins near the head; often seen breaching the surface or gliding near upwellings.
Where Found: Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Pacific waters near Mexico and the Philippines.