Spotted eagle ray
Aetobatus narinari
Sighting evidence at MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, Cayman Brac
Photo: michel candel · CC BY-NC-SA
Spotted eagle rays are a headline attraction at the Tibbetts wreck, regularly circling the hull in pairs or small groups and using the sandy substrate around the site to forage for buried invertebrates with their distinctive flat, pavement-like teeth. They are classical filter swimmers, generating lift through their broad, triangular pectoral fins and relying on cephalic lobes to funnel water over their spiracles. Their distinctive white-spotted dorsal pattern is unique to each individual, allowing long-term photo-identification studies.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Spotted eagle ray is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.