The common name "pygmy devil ray" can apply to two different animals: Mobula munkiana and Mobula kuhlii, which is the one we will be discussing today! Also known as the "longhorned mobula," they are a species of ray in the Mobulidae family and are endemic to the Indo-Pacific region. In Australia, this species was previously referred to as Mobula eregoodootenkee, a junior synonym (White et al. 2017). Found only in the Indian Ocean and central-west Pacific Ocean, one can find them from South Africa to the Philippines, Vietnam, and even Australia! The pygmy devil rays love to munch on plankton and small fish-- and there is plenty of that in their home range! A brown-grey color, they can grow up to 100 cm in width and are probably bycatch in fisheries in southeast Asia. They are a viviparous (with placenta), only giving birth to a single pup in shallow waters. The IUCN has assessed them as Near Threatened (NT). WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?GLOSSARY
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AuthorTFUI Founder Melissa C. Marquez is author of all animal bios and "Behind the Fins" segments. SEE MELISSA'S TEDx TALK HERE:
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