Spotted Eagle Ray

Photo: michel candel · CC BY-NC-SA

Spotted eagle rays are year-round residents at El Remanso, gliding in small groups of 2 to 6 individuals over the reef terrace as they hunt for buried molluscs and crustaceans in the sandy margins. Their striking white-spotted pattern and long, whip-like tails make them unmistakable, and they are typically relaxed around divers in this protected environment. Groups occasionally stack vertically above sandy patches, a feeding formation that triggers rapid digging activity as each ray excavates prey disturbed by the one above.