False Shark Ray

"What the heck is a False Shark Ray?" you must be asking. To be honest, so were we! But Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis is a real animal - recently discovered in 2016!

If the scientific name gives any hint, they are found in the North-East Atlantic off of... you guessed it. Mauritania! A benthic species that gets up to at least 2.24 metres in total length (TL), they probably have a restricted range as the few specimens caught were done so in shallow water on a sandy shoal. They may have a similar diet  other wedgefish (invertebrates, crustaceans, small bony fish) but we just don't know yet.
​

Rhynchorhina mauritaniensis sp. nov., holotype MNHN 2003-610, female 2040 mm TL, Specimen freshly caught at Iwik on 6th Febrary 2003 (Photo B. Valadou)

​Usually a dark grey (or green-brown) color on top, their underbelly is a creamy color. They sort of remind me of whale sharks with the smattering of white dots throughout its body, almost looking like a constellation. A rounded, blunt snout makes it different from other wedgefish, and they have thorns on the ridges above their eyes, spiracles, shoulders, and the mid-line of their back. 

​The IUCN has not assessed this animal.

EVER HEARD OF THE ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

• Crustaceans: Group of animals with a hard exoskeleton, jointed legs and segmented body.
  
• Invertebrates: Animals with no backbone (i.e. crustaceans, jellyfish, corals, sea anemones).
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.​​

SAY HELLO!

​YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

BACK TO SCHOOL: SHARKS

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:GREY REEF SHARK

BROADNOSE WEDGEFISH