Whitespotted Wedgefish

Fascinating facts about the Whitespotted Wedgefish

• At roughly 3 m (10 ft) long, the white-spotted wedgefish stretches the length of a small school bus.
• Divers have recorded this species down to at least 60 m (200 ft).
• Juveniles have three tiny white spots above each black spot on their backs, a pattern that becomes less visible in darker adults.
• Unlike fiddler and shovelnose rays, its tail fin has distinct upper and lower lobes.
• A single row of thorns runs along the middle of its back, starting at the first dorsal fin that aligns with the pelvic fins.

At a glance

About the Whitespotted Wedgefish

The white-spotted wedgefish, Rhynchobatus australiae, glides through Indo-Pacific waters from the East African coast and the Red Sea to Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia, inhabiting shallow reefs down to at least 60 m (200 ft). It reaches roughly 3 m (10 ft) in length; juveniles have a muted grey-brown dorsum with sparse white spots and a black spot above each pectoral fin, each black spot flanked by three tiny white dots. As they mature, the back darkens, often appearing almost black, and the juvenile spotting becomes less visible. Its acutely pointed snout merges into broad, flat triangular pectoral fins, and its tail fin has distinct upper and lower lobes. A row of thorny spines runs along the dorsal midline, and the first dorsal fin aligns with the pelvic fins.

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