This mild-mannered ray migrates long distances. Its long, barbed tail packs a toxic punch more likely to strike predators (namely sharks) than people. Unlike other rays, the cownose rarely rests on the bottom where you might accidentally step on one, and its stinger lies close to the body: A quick flick of the tail will not likely cause damage. It can be found from southern New England to northern Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico, migrating to the southern Caribbean.

The cownose ray’s wingtips can curl above the water’s surface, bearing a frightening resemblance to shark fins. A team of biologists once observed several males following one female with her fins upturned as if to say, “I’m in the mood.” These fins can also stir things up at dinnertime. The rays rapidly flap their fins and suck sand out their gills to churn the sediment and expose hidden oysters, crabs and other shellfish. Powerful tooth plates snap and grind the shells much like a nutcracker.

Cownose rays are the bane of oyster fishers, descending on oyster beds en masse and leaving only shell fragments. The rays’ taste for shellfish, on top of serious pollution and disease problems, may be contributing to declining oyster populations in some areas. The ray population, in turn, is exploding. The spike could be short-lived, however. These fish mature late and have few offspring, so efforts to manage cownose populations through commercial or recreational fishing would have to be carefully considered. In the meantime, visit the Caribbean Reef to see our own placid cownose rays nuzzling up to divers.