Small-eyed ray
Raja microocellata
A flat, sand-coloured ray lying half hidden on the seabed. It relies on camouflage, and no sighting is ever a promise.
Near Threatened (IUCN, 2025) means it is close to qualifying as threatened. Numbers are suspected to have fallen by about 30 percent.
Length
Up to about 87 cm (34 in) total length according to FishBase and Wikipedia. MarLIN gives up to 80 cm (31 in), and another source up to 103 cm (41 in).
Weight
Up to about 4.5 kg (9.9 lb).
Next to a person
A large adult is about as long as an adult's leg.
What it eats
Mainly fish and squid. Young rays eat crustaceans, and adults prefer bony fishes. It ambushes prey from under sand, also takes worms and crustaceans, and scavenges dead fish.
Around people
Calm, give space
How it lives
It lives on sand, mud and light shingle in tidal coastal waters down to about 100 m, and enters estuaries. Young rays stay in very shallow bays, and adults move deeper. It lays eggs: FishBase gives about 54 to 61 egg cases a year, each 6.6 to 10 cm long with a horn at each corner, laid mostly from June to September. They hatch after about 7 months. Hatchlings are about 10 to 13 cm, and females mature at about 74 cm.
Where it goes
Not well described in the sources I read. Juveniles stay in very shallow bays and adults move into deeper water as they grow.
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
Near Threatened (IUCN, 2025), with suspected population declines of about 30 percent. The assessment says it is close to meeting the criteria for Vulnerable. It lives in the north-east Atlantic from south-west Britain and Ireland to Western Sahara, and is absent from the North Sea and the Mediterranean. It is commonest in the Bristol Channel and off Ireland, and populations are fragmented. It is caught in trawls and set nets, as bycatch and as a target, and small rays are often discarded.
Meet it respectfully
Watch from a distance and let the ray stay where it is. It relies on camouflage and only moves if disturbed, so never chase, touch, lift, feed or bait it, and do not fan sand off it. I did not read local rules for this species, so follow your guide and local regulations.
Fun fact
Tap the bulb to light it up.
It lays egg cases with a horn at each corner.
It is also called the painted ray in some national species lists.
It stays still and relies on camouflage unless disturbed.
Small-eyed ray in the Ocean Atlas
Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.
Travel with usComing soonTrusted referralExploringOn pause, story onlyEthics pass
Country colour: pink where we travel, blue where we are exploring or refer, grey for story only.
France
Ireland
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
United KingdomSources for this page
- Wikipedia, Smalleyed ray, 2026
- FishBase, Raja microocellata, 2026
- MarLIN, Barnes, 2008
- Sharks and Rays, Smalleyed skate, 2026
- GBIF, IUCN category lookup, 2026
Facts checked 5 October 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.
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