Aetobatus narinari

(Euphrasen, 1790)

Vernacular names
English : Atlantic spotted eagle ray
French : Raie-aigle de l’Atlantique

Classification
Class : Elasmobranchii
Order : Myliobatiformes
Family : Myliobatidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Maximum recorded disc width is 3.30 m for a weight of 230 kg. Wing-shaped fins, very long thin tail. Triangular snout. Underside often pure white. Back coloration dark olive-gray with regularly and closely spaced white spots all over.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in most of tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, from Florida to Brazil and Caribbean sea, also around African coasts. Lives in shallow inshore waters such as bays and coral reefs, down to 80 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : ENDANGERED
CITES : Not Listed
Status : Species declining because of habitat destruction and overfishing. It needs reassessment as still assessed as single worldwide occurring species.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America

Observation

 

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