Spotted Eagle Ray

Photo: michel candel · CC BY-NC-SA

Spotted eagle rays glide gracefully through open water adjacent to thilas, using their disc-shaped pectoral fins to generate powerful propulsion across long distances. They use a specialised plate-like dentition to excavate molluscs, crustaceans, and worms from sandy substrate, and their foraging bioturbates sediment in ways that recycle nutrients back into the water column. Often observed in loose aggregations of three to ten individuals at current-washed thilas.