Spotted Eagle Ray
Aetobatus narinari
Sighting evidence at Nambatu Reef, Efate
Photo: michel candel · CC BY-NC-SA
Spotted eagle rays cruise Nambatu's sand shelf between 20 and 28 meters throughout the dry season months, foraging for buried molluscs with the excavating sweeps of their snouts that leave distinctive crater-shaped pits in the sand. At Nambatu they are most reliably seen as divers descend the wall and look out horizontally — the rays are frequently below the diver's eye-level on the shelf. Groups of three to seven are encountered on productive days, and occasionally a single large female will be surrounded by a following group of smaller males.
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.