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Aetomylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) Bull ray |
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photo by
Wirtz, P. |
| Family: | Myliobatidae (Eagle and manta rays) | |||
| Max. size: | 222 cm WD (female); max.weight: 116 kg | |||
| Environment: | benthopelagic; brackish; marine; depth range 10 - 150 m | |||
| Distribution: | Eastern Atlantic: Portugal and Morocco to Angola, including the Mediterranean, Madeira and the Canary Islands; then from Saldanha Bay to Natal (South Africa) and southern Mozambique (Ref. 5578). | |||
| Diagnosis: | Long, flat, rounded snout like a duck's bill; head thick and pectoral disc with sharply curved, angular corners; upper or lower jaw; usually with 7 rows of flat teeth (Ref. 5578). Light brown with several pale blue-grey stripes (may be absent) dorsally, white ventrally (Ref. 5578). | |||
| Biology: | Found in coastal tropical and warm temperate waters, occasionally offshore. Sometimes found in small groups (Ref. 5578). Feed on bottom-living crustaceans and mollusks. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449), aplacental (Ref. 57025). Prized angling fish, often released (Ref. 5578). Flesh highly esteemed (Ref. 3965). | |||
| IUCN Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (CR); Date assessed: 04 August 2020 (A2d) Ref. (130435) | |||
| Threat to humans: | harmless | |||