Spotted Eagle Ray

Eagle rays (the Myliobatidae family of fish) are a family of mostly large rays living in the open ocean rather than at the bottom of the sea. They are excellent swimmers and are able to jump several metres above the surface. Eagle rays feed on snails, mussels and crustaceans, crushing their shells with their extremely hard teeth.

The taxonomy of this group is uncertain; it is placed either in the order Myliobatiformes or Rajiformes [1]. There are eight genera belonging to the eagle rays: Myliobatis (common eagle rays), Rhinoptera (cownose rays), Pteromylaeus (bull rays), Aetobatus (bonnet rays), Aetomylaeus (smooth tail eagle rays), Californica (bat rays), Mobula (devil rays), and Manta (manta rays). (In some taxonomies the devil rays and manta rays are placed their own family, Mobulidae.)

The spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, also known as the bonnet ray or maylan, belongs to this genus. It is a very beautiful ray, bearing numerous white spots on its inky blue body. It has a span width of 2.5 m (8 ft) and a maximum reported weight of 230 kg[2]. Including the tail, it can reach up to 5 m (16 ft) in length. The spotted eagle ray is distributed in the tropical areas of all oceans, including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Spotted eagle ray gliding by the reef of the Caribbean island of Bonaire.
Spotted eagle ray off shore of Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands December 17, 2006.The genus also includes the much smaller longheaded eagle ray, Aetobatus flagellum, which is a widespread but uncommon species of Indian Ocean and western Pacific coasts. This is considered an endangered species due to huge pressure from fisheries throughout its range.

A 55-year-old woman from Michigan died Thursday in a freak accident in which she was struck by a 75-pound spotted eagle ray that jumped out of the Atlantic Ocean just off the shore of Key Colony Beach near Marathon, said Bobby Dube, spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.