Spotted Eagle Ray

Photo: michel candel · CC BY-NC-SA

Spotted eagle rays glide along South Reef's deeper terrace in pairs or small groups, their distinctive white-spotted backs making them instantly recognisable from above. They forage on buried bivalves and crustaceans using their flattened, disc-like snouts to excavate the sand, a feeding strategy that aerates the substrate and benefits other buried organisms. Their presence throughout the year provides reliable pelagic encounters even outside the whale shark window.