Blue-spotted ribbontail ray

Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC

These vividly patterned rays rest in small groups beneath coral overhangs and on sandy patches throughout Abu Dabbab Bay, making them one of the most reliably encountered species on every dive. They emerge at dusk to hunt small crustaceans and molluscs across the sandy flats, often passing within arm's reach of stationary divers. Their brilliant blue ocelli spots are a disruptive camouflage mechanism that also signals venomous tail spines to potential predators.