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.
Onde e quando ver um
"Residente" significa que a maioria dos mergulhos naquele destino os encontra; "sazonal" significa presença confiável nos meses listados; qualquer outra coisa é um bônus, não um plano.
| Destino | Fiabilidade | Meses | Notas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galápagos IslandsEcuador | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo o ano | |
| Cocos IslandCosta Rica | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo o ano | |
| MalpeloColombia | Resident: seen on most dives | Todo o ano | |
| Socorro & the RevillagigedosMexico | Occasional | Todo o ano |
Melhor mês, em resumo
| Mês | Destinos fiáveis |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Entendendo-os
Habitat: Rocky and coral reefs, seamount plateaus, and adjacent sand; often at cleaning stations
Distribuição: 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
Comportamento: 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.
Dieta: Bottom fish, crabs, and shrimp pinned beneath the disc
Tamanho: normalmente cerca de 1.4 m; documentado até 1.8 m (disc width; a genuinely massive stingray, thick-bodied and round).
Como se comportar perto de um
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.
Conservação
Assessed Vulnerable; taken widely in inshore and trawl fisheries across the Indo-Pacific, with reserves in the Eastern Pacific protecting its most visible populations.
Pontos mapeados conhecidos por eles
Os locais destacados foram cartografados para esta espécie pelos nossos editores; os números são registos de ocorrência do GBIF num raio de cerca de 5 km do local desde 1990.
Assista
Dos canais oficiais
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