Cowtail Stingray

Photo: Daniel Benák · CC BY

Cowtail stingrays are abundant on the sandy areas and reef patches at Canhabaque, resting partially buried in the substrate during the day and actively foraging across reef flats and sandy slopes at night. Their long whip-like tails with a distinctive skin fold are immediately recognisable, and they can grow to over 1.8 metres in disc width. The healthy sand and rubble habitat around Canhabaque supports the benthic invertebrate communities these rays depend on.