THE FINS UNITED INITIATIVE
  • About TFUI
    • TFUI Origins >
      • About TFUI Founder Melissa
      • TFUI Officers
    • Take a Bite
    • Get Involved
    • FAQ
  • Bite Blog
  • Education
    • The Sharks >
      • Shark Anatomy
    • The Skates & Rays
    • The Chimaeras
    • Why Environments Matter
    • The Threats
    • Open Access >
      • Behind the Fins: Interview series
      • Bite into Research
      • Shark Bites: Book Recommendations
      • Sustainable Seafood Apps
  • Fins United
    • Shark Party Ideas
    • Little Fins Nursery
    • Big Fins Reef
  • Contact

Cownose rays

9/18/2018

 
Picture
© Citron/Wikipedia commons
​Once the bad-boys of the marine world, cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) are making a comeback! Famous for the large schools these rays form while migrating, they almost look like underwater kites, with their wing-like pectoral fins allowing them to fly underwater. A copper-brown color above gives way to a creamy tummy which extends to a tail that has a small, barbed spine (surprised- it’s poisonous). 
They have an indented head and something a little different underneath the hood. #Finfact: They have a specialised fin beneath their head that divides into two, short round lobes. What do these lobes do? Guide food into their mouth! No, seriously. Their prey selection includes bottom-dwelling fish, crabs, lobsters and marine mollusc. Their plate-like teeth are great for crushing these animals; and these rays are also prey for other animals, too! Animals like the cobia (Rachycentron canadum), sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) like to eat these flat flap-flaps.

You can find these rays in the warm temperate and tropical waters of the western Atlantic, from the coast of southern New England all the way down to southern Brazil. If you live in or near the Chesapeake Bay, you can especially see them during the summer. Go check them out! After the summer fun, they get down to business (aka breeding) between June through October. In general, the cownose ray gives birth to a single pup.
​
Now we talked about migrations- just where are they going? And how big are these schools? I’m talking thousands of individuals. And they move up north in late Spring and south in late Autumn. How do they know when to go? One theory is that it’s initiated by the orientation of the sun and by water temperature. Cool! Often found in estuaries and bays, which tend to be marine and brackish; they can be observed up to depths of up to 22 metres. The IUCN has assessed them as Near Threatened (NT). Why? Globally they face heavy (and unregulated) fishing pressure through a large part of its range.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

​GLOSSARY

SAY HELLO!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Picture
BLACKTIP SHARK
Picture
COBBLER WOBBEGONG SHARK
Picture
FRILLED SHARK

Comments are closed.

    Author

    TFUI Founder Melissa C. Marquez is author of all animal bios and "Behind the Fins" segments.
    ​
    A proud #LatinainSTEM, Marquez is a marine biologist who focuses on shark habitat use and movements; she is also a science communicator (follow her on Twitter) who focuses on diverse Chondrichthyan education and who focuses on the media coverage of sharks.
    You can learn more about her on her website.

    SEE MELISSA'S TEDx TALK HERE:

    Archives

    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Subscribe to The Fins United Initiative's monthly newsletter.

    SEARCH BY CATEGORIES

    Picture
    SHARKS
    Picture
    SKATES &
    ​RAYS
    Picture
    CHIMAERA

    READER FAVORITES

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    FOLLOW ALONG ON INSTAGRAM

    @finsunitedinitiative
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • About TFUI
    • TFUI Origins >
      • About TFUI Founder Melissa
      • TFUI Officers
    • Take a Bite
    • Get Involved
    • FAQ
  • Bite Blog
  • Education
    • The Sharks >
      • Shark Anatomy
    • The Skates & Rays
    • The Chimaeras
    • Why Environments Matter
    • The Threats
    • Open Access >
      • Behind the Fins: Interview series
      • Bite into Research
      • Shark Bites: Book Recommendations
      • Sustainable Seafood Apps
  • Fins United
    • Shark Party Ideas
    • Little Fins Nursery
    • Big Fins Reef
  • Contact