Thornback Ray

Photo: Amanda Cogan Barber · CC BY-NC

Sandy channels and muddy patches throughout Cardigan Bay shelter thornback rays resting on the bottom, perfectly camouflaged against the substrate with only the outline of their disc-shaped bodies and eyes betraying their presence. They feed on crustaceans and molluscs buried in the sediment, flapping their broad pectoral fins to expose prey. Females use the bay's sheltered inshore areas as nursery grounds, and juveniles are frequently found in shallower water through summer.