Rays
Marbled Ray
Taeniurops meyeni · Cartilaginous fish — family Dasyatidae
The marbled ray is the stingray built to seamount scale: a smoky, mottled disc nearly two meters across, so heavy it seems to settle into the reef rather than rest on it. At Cocos Island they are everywhere — layered on cleaning ledges, flapping ponderously between coral heads, shadowing the hammerhead schools like gray moons. The marbling that names it ranges from salt-and-pepper speckle to black storm-cloud blotches, no two alike. Divers who know only the skittish smaller dasyatids are startled by its composure; it will hold its patch of sand while an entire group files past, eye swiveling, tail undisturbed.
Où et quand en observer un
« Résident » signifie que la plupart des plongées sur ce site permettent de les observer ; « saisonnier » signifie qu'ils sont présents de manière fiable durant les mois indiqués ; tout le reste est un bonus, pas une certitude.
| Destination | Fiabilité | Mois | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galápagos IslandsEcuador | Resident — seen on most dives | Toute l'année | |
| Cocos IslandCosta Rica | Resident — seen on most dives | Toute l'année | |
| MalpeloColombia | Resident — seen on most dives | Toute l'année | |
| Socorro & the RevillagigedosMexico | Occasional | Toute l'année |
Meilleur mois, en un coup d'œil
| Mois | Destinations fiables |
|---|---|
| January | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| February | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| March | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| April | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| May | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| June | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| July | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| August | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| September | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| October | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| November | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
| December | Galápagos Islands · Cocos Island · Malpelo · Socorro & the Revillagigedos |
Les comprendre
Habitat: Rocky and coral reefs, seamount plateaus, and adjacent sand; often at cleaning stations
Aire de répartition: Tropical Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and East Africa to Japan and Australia, plus Eastern Pacific outposts — famously abundant at Cocos Island and the Galápagos
Comportement: A ponderous, dignified giant that drapes itself over rocks and sand like a thrown blanket, mottled black-and-gray above with a fringe of rippling disc edge. At Cocos they pile onto cleaning stations several deep and trail hunting hammerheads and jacks scavenging behind them.
Régime alimentaire: Bottom fish, crabs, and shrimp pinned beneath the disc
Taille: généralement autour de 1.4 m; documenté jusqu'à 1.8 m (disc width; a genuinely massive stingray, thick-bodied and round).
Comment se comporter avec lui
Do not settle on sand without scanning it first, keep off cleaning stations, and never swim low over a resting ray's back — approach from the side where it can see you.
Conservation
Assessed Vulnerable; taken widely in inshore and trawl fisheries across the Indo-Pacific, with reserves in the Eastern Pacific protecting its most visible populations.
Sites répertoriés connus pour leur présence
Regarder
Depuis les canaux officiels
Best Places to Dive with Whale Sharks
Outrageously Tiny Fish
Sink or Swim? with Monét X Change | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Les vidéos sont des liens intégrés vers les chaînes de leurs créateurs — nous n'hébergeons rien et créditons tout.