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Animal profile

Spinetail Devil Ray

Mobula mobular

ChondrichthyesOpen and coastal waters of warm-temperate and tropical seas, often near shelf edgesEndangered

Field profile

The spinetail devil ray is a filter-feeding relative of the mantas, with cephalic lobes rolled forward and a slender tail that carries a small spine. It is caught incidentally in purse-seine and gillnet fisheries across much of its range.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-06-05

Spinetail Devil Ray

Two devil rays turned out to be one

For decades the Mediterranean was thought to hold an endemic devil ray while a near-identical species ranged the rest of the world. A 2017 reassessment found no consistent difference between them, and the supposed endemic became a global animal.

Read with evidence →

Spinetail Devil Ray | Daily Animal Facts