Spotted Eagle Ray: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Coral Reef · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. No other ray does this: the spotted eagle ray digs in the sand with its snout, hidden in a cloud of sand pouring out of its gills.
2. Spotted eagle rays are commonly seen leaping out of the water, and several have landed on boats and even on people.
3. Spotted eagle rays crush hard shells with chevron-shaped teeth, and calcified struts in the jaws stop them from getting dented.
4. A mother spotted eagle ray carries her pups for one year and gives birth to a maximum of four. Newborn discs are 17-35 cm across.
5. Spotted eagle rays sometimes travel in schools, often of 6 or more, all heading the same way at perfectly matched speed.

The quiz

1. What does a spotted eagle ray dig in the sand with?

• Its tail
• Its fins
• Its stinging spines
• Its snout (correct)

It digs in the sand with its snout.

2. What are spotted eagle rays commonly seen doing?

• Climbing onto beaches
• Leaping out of the water (correct)
• Glowing in the dark
• Singing underwater

They are commonly seen leaping out of the water.

3. What stops a spotted eagle ray's jaws from getting dented?

• Calcified struts (correct)
• Thick rubbery lips
• A bony beak
• Extra rows of teeth

Calcified struts in the jaws stop them from getting dented.

4. What is the maximum number of pups a spotted eagle ray gives birth to?

• One
• Eight
• Four (correct)
• Twelve

A mother gives birth to a maximum of four pups.

5. How do rays in a school swim?

• In circles around a leader
• In a single line, one behind another
• Each one at its own speed
• All the same way, at matched speed (correct)

Rays in a school all head the same way at exactly matching speed.

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