WHATSTHATFISH
Sharks & rays

Black-spotted Whipray

Maculabatis toshi

Also known as: Black-edged Whipray, Black-spotted Stingray, Brown Whipray, Brown-spotted Whipray, Coach Whipray, Honeycomb Stingray, Leopard Ray, Tosh's Longtail Ray, Whipray

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2016
Adult
@MarioF · Francois Peron National Park, Western Australia, Australia · March 20101 / 1
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Overview

Found singly, on soft bottoms of lagoons, bays and protected areas of shallow reefs, also deep on the continental shelf.
Western Pacific - Australia, Papua New Guinea

Whiprays generally have much longer tails.

Rays are bottom feeders, they settle themselves down over their prey, trapping them against the substrate with their disc, then flexing their disc flaps and manoeuvring the victims into their mouths.
Most rays live in the sea, but some can be found in estuaries, often hard to see as they can be buried in the sand, occasionally they can be seen leaping out of the water.
As a form of defence rays have electric organs while others have venomous spines.
Usually rays will swim out of harms way if approached, however they can give a nasty sting which could prove fatal.
Never swim over the top of large rays, they think you are a predator and are likely to whip their tails in defense! (as happened to Steve Irwin)

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How to identify

Pattern
spots

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Pacific
  • Country only · 1
LIVES IN

Found singly, on soft bottoms of lagoons, bays and protected areas of shallow reefs, also deep on the continental shelf.

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Adult photos 1

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classElasmobranchii
    4. orderMyliobatiformes
    5. familyDasyatidae
    6. genusMaculabatis
    7. speciesMaculabatis toshi (Whitley, 1939)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Stingrays (Dasyatidae)