Spotted Eagle Ray Identification

Video Transcript

"The marine creature we are going to identify now is the Spotted Eagle Ray. Like the Souther Stingray and all other rays, the Spotted Eagle Ray is a Chondrichthyes, the family of animals with cartilaginous skeletons that also includes all the sharks species. The Spotted Eagle Ray is one of the most distinctive rays with its white spots covering its dark back and it's pronounced head and tapered snout. The dark color of its back can range from a dark blue to black and its underside is white. It also has a long whip-like tail. Spotted Eagle Rays can be found in most parts of tropical Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. They often travel in small schools with three to five animals and usually will have a wingspan of three to six feet. The largest Eagle Ray reported had a ten-foot wingspan and weighed in at about five hundred pounds. Spotted Eagle Rays are carnivores and have specialized teeth that enable them to easily crush the hard shells of mollusks. They can be seen occasionally in sand flats digging through the sand but are generally skittish around divers and will quickly depart for deeper waters when approached. They are more commonly seen swimming along the edge of the reef en-route to their next feeding area. That's the Spotted Eagle Ray."