Rays

Whitespotted eagle ray

Aetobatus narinari

Whitespotted eagle rays glide over Caribbean reefs like underwater birds. We give them space and let them choose the distance.

EndangeredIn 58 Atlas countries

Endangered (IUCN, 2020) means it is at very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Whitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in Belize — Photo: aarongunnar, iNaturalist, CC BY

Two whitespotted eagle rays swimming low over pale sand — Photo: Dan Schofield, iNaturalist, CC BY

Whitespotted eagle ray seen from above in blue water — Photo: Dan Schofield, iNaturalist, CC BY

Whitespotted eagle ray flying through open blue water — Photo: Dan Schofield, iNaturalist, CC BY

Whitespotted eagle ray showing its pale belly above sand — Photo: Dan Schofield, iNaturalist, CC BY

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Disc usually about 1.4 m (4.6 ft) across; largest recorded 2.3 to 3 m (7.5 to 9.8 ft) across, depending on source. With the long tail, total length can be over 5 m (16.4 ft)

Weight

Typical weight not reliably measured; largest published about 227 to 230 kg (500 to 507 lb)

Next to a person

The biggest are wider than a tall adult is tall

What it eats

Clams and other shellfish, shrimps, crabs, octopus, worms and small fish.

Around people

Defensive if pressured

How it lives

This eagle ray lives in warm, shallow bays, estuaries and reefs of the western Atlantic. It crushes clams and other hard prey with plate-like teeth. It often swims near the surface, sometimes leaps right out of the water, and can form schools. Females give birth to live young, up to four pups.

Where it goes

Some rays stay, some travel. In Florida, 54 rays were tracked from 2016 to 2018. Rays tagged in the Indian River Lagoon mostly stayed there, while Sarasota Bay rays moved along the Gulf coast with the seasons and preferred warm water. One Sarasota male was later heard off the Yucatán coast of Mexico.

Populations

Until about 2010 all spotted eagle rays were seen as one worldwide species. Now this name is kept for the rays of the western Atlantic, from the United States to Brazil. Genes show Florida and Mexico rays are a bit different, with Cuba linking both.

Meet it respectfully

Give it several metres and stay out of its escape path. Stay low and calm, and never touch, chase or corner it. Its tail has one or more venomous spines that can cause serious injury if the ray is stepped on, grabbed or cornered. Boats should go slowly in shallow bays. In Florida state and federal waters it is illegal to take this ray.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Where it goes

Follow its journey

Watch it travel. Every line comes from satellite tracking or documented research, and the source is named.

StartEndJourney (the line joins documented areas; real paths vary)

Where you may meet it

Whitespotted eagle 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.

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Country colour: pink where we travel, blue where we are exploring or refer, grey for story only.

Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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