Bottlenose wedgefish

How it lives

It lives in shallow, inshore waters, from the surface down to at least 60 m, usually on sand and often close to reefs. It often rests on the bottom, pumping water over its gills. It gives birth to live young that feed on yolk and then on nourishment from the mother. Litters are 7 to 19 pups, and its lifespan is estimated at about 15 years. Young ones are greyish or brownish with white spots and a black spot above each pectoral fin. Large adults become darker and the spots fade.

Where it goes

Not well studied. It lives in shallow coastal waters and no long migration is described in the sources I read. Its range runs from the East African coast and the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean to Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Global: Critically Endangered (IUCN, 2019). Estimates put declines at more than 80 percent, and the Convention on Migratory Species notes declines of 50 to 80 percent over three decades for the white-spotted wedgefish in the Arabian Sea and nearby waters. It is on CITES Appendix II and CMS Appendix II (2017). Fins from wedgefishes are highly valued, and it is caught in nets, trawls and on longlines. Current numbers by country are not given in the sources I read.