Golden Cownose Ray
Rhinoptera steindachneri
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassElasmobranchii
- OrderMyliobatiformes (Stingrays)
- FamilyMyliobatidae (Eagle Rays)
- GenusRhinoptera (Cownose Rays)
- SpeciesRhinoptera steindachneri (Golden Cownose Ray)
About the Golden Cownose Ray
The golden cownose ray or Pacific cownose ray (Rhinoptera steindachneri) is a species of ray. It is found in the East Pacific along the coast of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, estuarine waters, intertidal marshes, and coastal saline lagoons. They are often in schools, and sometimes associated with the spotted eagle ray.
Like all members of eagle rays, they demonstrate ovoviviparity. Ovulation and birth occurred in May, June and July, with a low fecundity, large size at maturity and birth and a continuous and synchronous annual reproductive cycle.
According to Joseph Bizzarro, Wade Smith, J. Fernando Márquez-Farías, and Robert E. Hueter, these rays are not of much value within fisheries and are harmless to humans, however one of the main threats to this species is overexploitation and habitat destruction.
The parasites that inhabit this species are most influenced by body size, diet, and feeding behavior. Photos of mass migration Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Cabo Pulmo National Park
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |