Ray
Bull Ray
Aetomylaeus bovinus
A large, powerful eagle ray with a blunt duckbill snout, gliding over sandy bottoms and reefs along the South African coast.
Also known as bull, bulrog, duckbill eagle ray, duckbill ray, pteromylaeus bovinus
- Typical size
- Wingspan commonly 1-1.5 m
- Habitat
- Sand flats, estuary mouths and reef edges
- Depth
- Around 5-60 m
The bull ray, also known as the duckbill ray, is a stout eagle ray with broad, pointed wings, a distinctive rounded duckbill snout and a long whip-like tail carrying a venomous spine near its base. Its back is plain olive to bronze and its underside pale, and it swims with slow, powerful wingbeats that let it cover ground with ease.
It cruises over sand flats, estuary mouths and reef edges around the Cape and KZN coast, using its blunt snout and flattened crushing plates to root out and grind buried molluscs, crabs and other shellfish. Generally shy and non-aggressive toward divers, it will move off if approached. The tail spine can inflict a painful venomous wound, so give a resting or feeding ray a respectful berth and never crowd its tail.