Reef (Alfred) manta ray, Manta alfredi Cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) include elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish) and holocephali (chimaeras or ghost sharks). Their skeletons are cartilaginous.
Manta rays are long-lived and late maturing. They reproduce once every 2-5 years and give birth to a single pup. They are found in warm temperate, subtropical, and tropical waters. Reef mantas are locally resident. They are filter feeders and eat zooplankton, swallowing it with open mouths as they swim.
Reef (Alfred) manta ray, Manta alfredi
White-spotted eagle rays are found globally in tropical regions. They feed on bivalves, crabs, whelks, molluscs, crustaceans, hermit crabs, shrimps, octopuses, and some small fish. They dig in the sand with their snouts.
White-spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari
Sting rays:
These stingrays are found in the Indo-Pacific from Mozambique to India to northern Australia.
Small-eye stingray, Dasyatis microps
The blotched ray (round ribbontail ray) is found throughout the nearshore waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific as well as off islands in the eastern Pacific. They are generally nocturnal.
Blotched fantail ray, Taeniura meyeni
Sharks are elasmobranch fish having a cartilaginous skleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head.
Silvertip sharks are large requiem sharks with a fragmented distribution throughout the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are aggressive, powerful apex predators.
Silvertip shark, Carcharhinis albimarginatus
Tawny nurse sharks are carpet sharks and are the only extant member of their genera. They are found along coastlines in the Indo-Pacific. They are similar in appearance to the Caribbean and east Pacific nurse sharks and are mainly nocturnal.
Tawny nurse shark, Nebrius ferrugineus
Whitetip reef sharks are requiem sharks and are the only member of their genus. They are the most common sharks on Indo-Pacific coral reefs.
Whitetip reef shark, Triaenodon obesus
The whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. It is the only member of its genus and of its family. They are found in tropical waters and feed almost exclusively on plankton.
Whale shark, Rhincodon typus
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Last modified 1 November 2024