Spotted
Eagle Ray: Soars Like a Bird
With its eerie shape and flapping dorsal
fins, the eagle ray is among the most elegant and mysterious-looking fish in the ocean.
Its back is covered with a symmetrical dot pattern ranging in color from white and yellow
to green. Its underbelly is white and its long tail, sometimes measuring twice as long as
its body, is black. When an eagle ray is resting on the sandy ocean floor, its
highly-patterned back acts as a camouflage, hiding it from both prey and attackers.
The spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus
narinari), like all rays and sharks, has a skeleton of cartilage.
Its large "wings" are tapered like a bird's and can measure
up to seven and a half feet across. The eagle ray's shovel-shaped
snout, and its duckbilled mouth are extremely sensitive to smells
and electrical currents in the water. This makes the eagle ray an
effective hunter. Feeding on mollusks, crustaceans and small fish,
this beautiful ray can reach weights of up to 500 pounds. The eagle
ray lives mostly among rocky and muddy coral reefs and feeds along
the sandy ocean bottom.
Spinner
dolphins l Humpback Whales l
Sea Turtles l Albatross l Coral Spawning l
Dolphin Documentary l
Take Action l
Cetacean Research l About Us l Tours and Activities l
Photos l Other
Resources l Photos l Internships
Wild Side Specialty Tours on the
island of Oahu:
TEL (808) 306-7273
FAX (808) 668-4075
email: WildSide@SailHawaii.com
