Sharks & Rays
Marine Life / Sharks & Rays
From whale sharks and threshers to mantas, eagle rays and stingrays: the cartilaginous fishes of Philippine waters.
- Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus ocellatus
The spotted eagle ray (Aetobatus ocellatus) is a graceful ray with a dark back covered in white spots and a long whip-like tail.
- Reef Manta Ray Mobula alfredi
The reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) is the manta most often seen by divers in the Philippines, gliding over reefs and cleaning stations.
- Blue-spotted Maskray Neotrygon orientalis
The blue-spotted maskray (Neotrygon orientalis) is a small stingray with a brownish disc covered in bright blue spots and a dark mask over the eyes.
- Whale Shark Rhincodon typus
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the world, a gentle filter-feeder with a checkerboard of white spots.
- Tiger Shark Galeocerdo cuvier
The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is a large, blunt-snouted shark named for the dark stripes on its sides.
- Blacktip Reef Shark Carcharhinus melanopterus
The blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) is a small reef shark with bold black tips on its fins, often seen in very shallow water.
- Whitetip Reef Shark Triaenodon obesus
The whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) is a slender grey shark with white-tipped fins that often rests on the bottom by day.
- Leopard Shark Stegostoma tigrinum
The leopard shark or zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) is a spotted, ridged shark with a very long tail that rests on sand.
- Bottlenose Wedgefish Rhynchobatus australiae
The bottlenose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus australiae), often called a guitar shark or shark ray, is a ray with a shark-like body and a pointed, wedge-shaped head.
- Tawny Nurse Shark Nebrius ferrugineus
The tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus) is a sluggish, yellowish-brown shark that rests in caves and under ledges by day.
- Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini
The scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is a hammerhead shark with a scalloped front edge to its head that often schools in large groups.
- Grey Reef Shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
The grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) is a sleek grey shark with a broad black edge along its tail fin.