| Cartilaginous Fishes | Rays |
Pacific Cownose Ray
Rhinoptera steindachneri
| Conservation Status: Threatened
- © A.Valles, Aquarium of the Pacific
- Cownose ray in our Shark Lagoon
Cownose rays belong to the family, Myliobatidae, which also includes eagle and manta rays. They have the familiar winged shape of many species of large rays. This species has a distinguishing characteristic, its rostrum, the basis for its common name, cownose. The pectoral fins separate at the front of the head into two lobes with a center crease which, combined with the indented notch in the ray’s cartilaginous skull, give the rays a cow-like appearance. The species is migratory, usually traveling in schools.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
Eastern Pacific including Gulf of California, Costa Rica to Peru, and the Galapagos islands
- Amazing Facts
In 1610 Capt. John Smith was stung by the Atlantic cownose ray while fishing near the mouth of Virginia's Rappahannock River. Legend says he nearly died but was saved when Native Americans found an antidote in the mud of a nearby pristine waterway that is known to this day as Antipoison Creek. Smith's one-time fishing spot also has a name—Stingray Point.
- At the Aquarium
Our ray's habitat is in Shark Lagoon. Its diet is primarily shrimp but, occasionally, it does get clams or sardines that have been cut up. The food is offered in pieces about the size of an adult female’s little finger.