Bull Ray (Aetomylaeus bovinus)

We were lucky enough to have a very special visitor at Illetes; a Bull Ray swam beneath us and I just had time to grab the camera, although I was not able to get the best position for filming before it swam off. The body shape and markings suggest that it is a Bull Ray (Aetomylaeus bovinus): A bull-shaped head with a distinct snout, sharply angled tips on the “wings”; a concave profile to the trailing edges of the pectoral disc; grey ripples or stripes on its disc; a white or very pale underside and disc that is wider than it is long. This specimen was sited in its typical habitat of warm, coastal waters- they are generally found in less than 30m of water. These rays are critically endangered so we are very happy to find one that is apparently healthy, close to home. In fact, this may be the same one that we saw last October in the same area but our images are not sufficiently clear to identify and compare the stripes, the patterns of which are unique to individual rays.