Ray
Butterfly Ray
Gymnura natalensis
A very broad, kite-shaped ray with a tiny tail that lies buried on sandy bottoms along the KZN and Cape coasts.
Also known as backwater butterfly ray, butterfly, diamond ray
- Typical size
- Disc commonly 60-120 cm across
- Habitat
- Sand and mud bottoms inshore
- Depth
- Shallow inshore to about 60 m
The butterfly ray has a disc far wider than it is long, giving it a broad diamond or butterfly shape, mottled brown to grey above and white below, with a very short tail lacking a long whip. It lives over sand and mud along the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coasts, often buried with only its eyes exposed.
It feeds on small fish, crustaceans and molluscs taken from the seabed. Although it has a small spine near the tail base, it is placid and poses little threat if not stepped on or handled. Divers usually notice it only when the outline of the buried disc lifts off the sand.