Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea MLCD

Critter of the Month

Spotted Eagle Ray



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Spotted Eagle Ray or Hailepo





photos courtesy Sandi Strickland

Spotted Eagle Rays (also known as Bullhead Rays) are always attention getters as the glide elegantly through the water column. They can be seen individually or in schools up to 30 rays thick! They have beautiful white spots on their top side and bright white undersides. They can grow up to 10 feet in wingspan, and their tails can extend up to 15 feet behind them. They can weigh up to 500lbs!

They have a very unique billed shaped mouth that they use to scoop mollusks and crustaceans out of the sand. Their mouth is extremely sensitive to smells and electric current making them very effective hunters.