Living Sanibel: Cow-nose ray
Cow-nose ray
This ray is a common sighting in the early spring from the Sanibel causeway where schools appear to be flying through the clear aquamarine waters. When mating it sometimes congregates along the beaches where it is oftentimes confused with its close cousin, the stingray. The easiest method of telling these two similar-size species apart is the squared front of the cow-nose ray and the much more angular, almost pyramid-shaped front of the stingray.
Although the cow-nose ray has a barb, its venom in nowhere near as poisonous as the stingray, and it seldom stings anyone. Because it is almost always swimming, the chances of stepping on one are slim. For people who have been barbed, the symptoms are reported to be similar to a beesting.
Swimming as deep as 70 feet, schools of cow-nose rays numbering more than 10,000 have been verified. It ranges from the western tip of Africa, to the Chesapeake, down through northern Brazil.
The cow-nose ray gives birth to three to six live pups in the late summer. The young rays are preyed upon by cobia, snook, and larger grouper. Adult cow-nose rays are a favorite food for larger sharks, including hammerheads, lemons, and bulls. It has no food value and is considered a nuisance fish in the Chesapeake Bay area where it feeds prolifically on oysters. It also feeds on clams, mussels, crustaceans, and crabs.
Spotted eagle ray
The spotted eagle ray is sometimes seen launching six feet or more out of San Carlos Bay. No one understands why this species is so prone to jumping, but the speculation is that it has something to do with parasites. This jumping behavior was responsible for a freak accident in the Florida Keys in March 2008. A 55-year-old Michigan woman was riding on the bow of her boat off Marathon when a 75-pound eagle ray rocketed out of the water and hit her in the face and chest, resulting in a fatal blunt force trauma to the skull. Several other eagle ray collisions have been verified, but this is the only one that resulted in death.
Although not called a stingray, the spotted eagle ray nonetheless wields a venomous barb. It rarely comes close enough to shore to be stepped on. The tail of the spotted eagle ray can exceed the length of its body, at times making the tip-to-tip length more than 16 feet (5 meters). It is seldom eaten but is sometimes taken by trawlers and used as fishmeal. Its population worldwide is in serious decline, although the cause for this decline is unknown. The spotted eagle ray is listed as near threatened by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
The eagle ray wanders most of the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans but is seldom seen more than a few hundred miles from shore. It has a very unusual diet that includes clams, spiny sea urchins, whelks, oysters, and other mollusks. Its mouth has two bony plates capable of crushing these animals and extracting the meat while removing and discarding the hard shell portion prior to ingestion. The eagle ray is similar to the stingray in that its only real predators are large sharks, including the great hammerhead, bull, and great white.
Charles Sobczak is a Sanibel author whose works include the novel “Six Mornings on Sanibel” and two local guide books, “Living Sanibel A Nature Guide to Sanibel & Captiva Islands” and “The Living Gulf Coast A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida.” His books are available online and at most local bookstores. For more information about Sobczak’s writing, go to www.indigopress.net.
This article is from “Living Sanibel.”
Living Sanibel: Cow-nose ray
Cow-nose ray
This ray is a common sighting in the early spring from the Sanibel causeway where schools appear to be flying through the clear aquamarine waters. When mating it sometimes congregates along the beaches where it is oftentimes confused with its close cousin, the stingray. The easiest method of telling these two similar-size species apart is the squared front of the cow-nose ray and the much more angular, almost pyramid-shaped front of the stingray.
Although the cow-nose ray has a barb, its venom in nowhere near as poisonous as the stingray, and it seldom stings anyone. Because it is almost always swimming, the chances of stepping on one are slim. For people who have been barbed, the symptoms are reported to be similar to a beesting.
Swimming as deep as 70 feet, schools of cow-nose rays numbering more than 10,000 have been verified. It ranges from the western tip of Africa, to the Chesapeake, down through northern Brazil.
The cow-nose ray gives birth to three to six live pups in the late summer. The young rays are preyed upon by cobia, snook, and larger grouper. Adult cow-nose rays are a favorite food for larger sharks, including hammerheads, lemons, and bulls. It has no food value and is considered a nuisance fish in the Chesapeake Bay area where it feeds prolifically on oysters. It also feeds on clams, mussels, crustaceans, and crabs.
Spotted eagle ray
The spotted eagle ray is sometimes seen launching six feet or more out of San Carlos Bay. No one understands why this species is so prone to jumping, but the speculation is that it has something to do with parasites. This jumping behavior was responsible for a freak accident in the Florida Keys in March 2008. A 55-year-old Michigan woman was riding on the bow of her boat off Marathon when a 75-pound eagle ray rocketed out of the water and hit her in the face and chest, resulting in a fatal blunt force trauma to the skull. Several other eagle ray collisions have been verified, but this is the only one that resulted in death.
Although not called a stingray, the spotted eagle ray nonetheless wields a venomous barb. It rarely comes close enough to shore to be stepped on. The tail of the spotted eagle ray can exceed the length of its body, at times making the tip-to-tip length more than 16 feet (5 meters). It is seldom eaten but is sometimes taken by trawlers and used as fishmeal. Its population worldwide is in serious decline, although the cause for this decline is unknown. The spotted eagle ray is listed as near threatened by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
The eagle ray wanders most of the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans but is seldom seen more than a few hundred miles from shore. It has a very unusual diet that includes clams, spiny sea urchins, whelks, oysters, and other mollusks. Its mouth has two bony plates capable of crushing these animals and extracting the meat while removing and discarding the hard shell portion prior to ingestion. The eagle ray is similar to the stingray in that its only real predators are large sharks, including the great hammerhead, bull, and great white.
Charles Sobczak is a Sanibel author whose works include the novel “Six Mornings on Sanibel” and two local guide books, “Living Sanibel A Nature Guide to Sanibel & Captiva Islands” and “The Living Gulf Coast A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida.” His books are available online and at most local bookstores. For more information about Sobczak’s writing, go to www.indigopress.net.
This article is from “Living Sanibel.”