Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A. I am one of 25 ray species found in Aotearoa and am part of a group of rays, skates and sharks known as Elasmobranchs. Like others in this group, I don’t have bones, and my skeleton is formed entirely from a strong connective tissue called cartilage.
While rays share some features with sharks, we also have many differences. Eagle rays have flattened bodies with our mouths and gills located on our undersides.
Q. How can eagle rays be identified?
A. Eagle rays have pointed pectoral fins - like wings! Our bird-like body shape is how we got our name. To swim we flap these fins gracefully, making us easily distinguishable from other ray species, like stingrays which ripple like a magic carpet. I’m usually olive green or brown, sometimes with pale blue markings across my back. Female eagle rays are larger than males and can reach ‘wingspans’ up to 1.5m!
Q. Where are you found?
A. I hang out in shallow bays, estuaries and seagrass beds throughout New Zealand and some parts of Australia. I’m often spotted in shallow coastal water during the spring and summer but can survive at depths of up to 422m! I can sit on the seafloor for long periods of time thanks to the spiracles at the top of my head. These spiracles are small holes that allow me to continuously pump water over my gills and keep them clear of sediment.
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Q. What do you typically eat?
A. I both hunt live prey and scavenge dead material, so I eat a wide variety of food. My main prey is seafloor invertebrates, including gastropods, crabs and bivalves. These invertebrates can be tough to chew, so I have powerful hexagonal teeth to help me crush and discard hard shells and exoskeletons.
These invertebrates are also tricky to spot, but my electro-sensory organ helps me detect them even when they’re completely buried in sand or mud. Once I locate them, I shoot jets of water from my gills to excavate them from the sediment, creating pits as wide as 30cm in the seafloor.
Q. How do you protect yourself from predators?
A. My tail spine helps protect me from predators such as orcas, bronze whalers and hammerhead sharks. I’m usually not uaggressive, but humans should be careful to shuffle their feet while wading in shallow water, so they don’t accidentally step on me!
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Download the New Zealand Eagle Ray Card to print & display
Find more creature cards & other formats in this Google Drive folder.
Additional Learning Resources:
Check out these Young Ocean Explorers videos:
Learn about the NZ eagle ray
Learn to draw an eagle ray
Learn about the differences between rays
Also check out this Kelly Tarlton’s teaching plan
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