Spinetail Devil Ray
Mobula mobular
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Myliobatiformes
- Family
- Mobulidae
- Genus
- Mobula
- Species
- Mobula mobular
The spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular) is a large devil ray with a wingspan of up to about 3 m or more. It has a dark blue-black back, a white-tipped dorsal fin and, unlike most of its relatives, a serrated spine at the base of its long tail. Populations once known as Mobula japanica are now included in this species.
It feeds mainly on krill and small schooling fish in open water and is often seen in groups, sometimes leaping clear of the surface. The species is listed as Endangered due to targeted fisheries and bycatch.
In the Philippines spinetail devil rays occur in deep waters such as the Bohol Sea, where they were historically hunted in large numbers. Divers occasionally see them passing along walls or in open water.
Photo: Sarah Faulwetter, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist