A few years ago, when I was here on Little Cayman with the Grouper Moon Project, we went snorkeling in the shallows looking for juvenile grouper. While we were out, we saw this beautiful Spotted Eagle Ray!! Check it out!!
Grouper Education Program
Students helping protect a Caribbean Icon!
That is so cool. Why does it have spots? Is it a boy or a girl. If you know how do you know?
That Eagle Ray is beautiful. Do Eagle Rays sting?
Nope!
AMAZING!!!!!
About how big is the Spotted Eagle Ray? How long is its tail?
How is he getting forward momentum if his ‘wings’ are moving up and down?
All rays swim like that…and they are incredibly fast! It almost looks like they are flying!
Do all rays ‘flap’ like that or is that why its called a Spotted Eagle Ray?
Yes. That is how they swim.
Why is it swimming in shallow water?
About how deep is the water where its swimming?
That is where they are usually found. In shallow waters. But they can be found as deep as 200 feet.
If it doesn’t sting, how does it defend itself?
Does it use its ‘beak thing’ as a defense?
They are very fast swimmers! In fact, they can jump entirely out of the water!!
PS-we were wrong. They do have venomous barbs on their tail!
Are Eagle Rays endangered?
Are they rare?
They are not endangered yet, but the reports I have read are saying their populations are in decline.
How much does an Eagle Ray weigh?
How long is it from head to tail?
They can weigh up to 500 pounds!! And they can be as long as 16 feet!!
How long does an Eagle Ray live or how old that one in the video is?
It is definitely an adult, but its hard to say exactly how old. They typically live between 4-6 years.
Is the ray in the video an adult?
How deep will an adult go?
Yes, it is an adult. And they are typically found in shallower waters but are sometimes found at depths up to 200 feet deep!
Why is it white on the bottom?
You’ve stumped me on that one, Marley. Save that question for the scientists. Perhaps they will know!
Does the Spotted Eagle Ray ever change color?
Not that we know of.
Why is it called a Spotted Eagle Ray? Is it because of its beak-like mouth?
Yes, because of their white spots and beak-like mouth!
Does the Eagle ray ever go deeper than 50 feet in the water?
Yup! The can be seen as deep at 200 feet. However, they tend to be found in more shallower waters.
Do Eagle ray’s ever live together? What does the Eagle ray eat?
Yes, Eagle Rays are often seen in groups and they are often found in shallower waters and over coral reefs. Primarily they eat shellfish, mollusks, octopus, and sometimes fishes.
I know I’ve already commented but I have a question .
How long is it’s tail?
The largest Eagle Ray seen was about 16ft long, including the tail!! Its pretty big!!
Up to 6 or 7 feet long!!
What is the wing part called?
Pectoral fins!
Why are there no other fish around?
He’s so cute and awesome!
That’s my creature 🙂