Common Eagle Ray

Eagle rays appear at Isleta del Moro most reliably between August and October, gliding in from the open water over the sandy approach to the reef before banking and accelerating away with a few powerful wing beats that expose the distinctive diamond silhouette. They are typically solitary at this site but occasional groups of three to five individuals have been reported, almost certainly foraging aggregations taking advantage of late-summer invertebrate abundance in the sand. Their presence here is considered a strong indicator of the park's success in maintaining healthy benthic invertebrate populations that support elasmobranchs above the food chain.