Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray

Photo: Ajsylu Lavrova · © all rights reserved

Bluespotted ribbontail rays rest under coral table overhangs throughout the Japanese Garden, their electric blue spots contrasting with yellow-brown bodies in a warning display that signals the venomous tail spine to potential predators. These rays emerge at night to hunt invertebrates in the sand adjacent to the reef, and dawn dives often catch them returning from foraging, moving languidly across open sand patches before settling under their favoured coral shelves. Their abundance at this site compared to most of the Red Sea reflects the decades-long prohibition on any form of take in the nature reserve.