Smoothnose wedgefish

2/7/2018

The smoothnose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus laevis) is our next star for #WedgefishWednesday! A grey-brown colour, the smoothnose wedgefish sports white spots on their sides and has a dark spot on each pectoral fin that is surrounded by more white spots. #Finfact: Although the smoothnose wedgefish sounds a lot like the eyebrow wedgefish (R. palpebratus), the two have different ranges that don’t overlap! They are often confused with other relatives and are therefore poorly known.

What’s the range of the smoothnose wedgefish? Good question! You can find these animals in northern Indian Ocean and northwestern Pacific Ocean. A pretty wide range, huh? Here they enjoy shallow coastal waters and have been observed at the mouths of rivers.

The IUCN has assessed the smoothnose wedgefish as Vulnerable (VU).

what new #finfact did you learn?

glossary

IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.

say hello!

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: