Details
Mobula mobular
The spinetail devil ray is a large oceanic ray of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Active across day and night, it moves in loose groups while filtering small prey.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses open ocean, offshore coastal waters, seamount areas, and productive upwellings. Movements follow currents and water masses that concentrate food.
Length is about 250-520 cm and weight about 300-1000 kg. Wide wing-like pectoral fins, forward cephalic fins, and a slender tail define its shape.
It swims alone or in loose aggregations, circling where food is dense. The broad fins beat like wings as the ray glides through open water.
Classed here as carnivorous, it mainly filters zooplankton and other tiny swimming animals. It swims with the mouth open and strains food at the gills.
It is live-bearing and produces few well-developed young. Slow maturity and low reproductive output make populations vulnerable to heavy fishing pressure.
Its status is listed as Endangered. Bycatch and harvest for gill plates are major concerns, requiring protection across broad ocean areas.
