Shortfin Devil Ray
Mobula kuhlii
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Myliobatiformes
- Family
- Mobulidae
- Genus
- Mobula
- Species
- Mobula kuhlii
The shortfin devil ray (Mobula kuhlii) is one of the smaller devil rays, with a wingspan of about 1.2 m. It has a dark brown to grey back, a white belly, relatively short head fins and a small dorsal fin without a white tip. Rays formerly called Mobula eregoodoo are now treated as this species.
It lives in coastal and shelf waters, often in groups, feeding on small crustaceans and fish. It is caught as target and bycatch in many coastal fisheries, and the species is listed as Endangered.
In the Philippines shortfin devil rays are found in coastal waters and are sometimes seen by divers in small groups passing over reefs or along drop-offs. They are easily mistaken for juveniles of larger devil rays.
Photo: Daniel Benák, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist