Myliobatis californica The bat ray is named for the wide, angular shape of its pectoral disc, with trailing ‚wing‘ tips and dark brown to black coloring on top. It has a whip-like tail twice the length of its body, with a venomous spine at the base, and distinctly protruding head and large eyes.
Danger to Humans As a non-aggressive marine animal, the bat ray poses little threat
Myliobatis tenuicaudatus This rather small and incredibly shy ray was made famous over the accidental death of celebrity Steve Irwin. They only grow to almost 4 feet wide and are quick to retreat when humans approach, but they have long venomous stinging spines at the base of their whip-like tail
Danger to Humans The Australian bull ray is considered venomous due to its stinging
Negaprion acutidens This shy, sedate shark isn’t much of a threat to humans unless provoked. It can get quite large though, upward of 14 feet long, and it closely resembles its sister species the Lemon Shark, except for the slightly more exaggerated curve of its pectoral fins. Typically yellowish
Photo © Becky Kelly Danger to Humans This species is quite shy when approached
Callorhinchus milii This unusual family of ‚chimaera‘ branched off from sharks almost 400 million years ago. The ghost shark is easily identified because of their very large, high-set eyes, and the club-like structure at the end of their snouts. Their protruding snout is made to search for food p
Danger to Humans Ghost sharks have a long spine located just in front of the first
Bathytoshia brevicaudata The largest of the rays, these can grow up to almost 7 feel across and 770 pounds. They’re slightly diamond shaped, wider than they are long, with a stocky tail shorter than the length of their bodies as adults. Although they are slow-moving in general, they can flap thei
Danger to Humans The short-tail stingray is often observed raising its tail similar
Tetronarce californica This solitary coastal ray has a very round pectoral disc, and a tall dorsal fin near its large caudal fin on a stocky tail. It is a dark gray above, often with irregular dark spots, and pale white below, with the males growing to 36 inches long and females growing to almost
Danger to Humans The ancient Greeks and Romans used the electric current of the
Lutjanus campechanus These off-shore fish prefer deep reefs or rocky banks int he Western Atlantic. They’re a dark pink-red, fading to pale underbelly, and younger, smaller fish sometimes have a dark spot high on their sides. They are classically almond-shaped, with red eyes, and dorsal and anal
Danger to Humans There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from human consumption
After our last trip, I had made some adjustments to the design of our long line but needed a special kind of rope. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related shipping delays, it took quite a while for the line to arrive, and we had it diverted to the field. We spent a day measuring out and prepping the ne
Since we were not in immediate danger I took to the internet.
From the jungles of Southeast Asia to the Greek Islands, Florida Museum of Natural History botanist Nico Cellinese has searched for the answers to how evolution works. But during fieldwork in the Mediterranean Basin—a biodiversity hotspot—she found more questions than answers. “There are so many
the Roucela group rare, Crowl is the first to point out they may actually be in danger
Chaetodipterus faber This silver and black striped, disk-shaped fish schools in groups as large as 500. Although it’s the only of its family to live in the Western Atlantic, there are a few fish that look similar. The Atlantic spadefish can grow to almost 36 inches and 20 pounds. Some anglers lik
Danger to Humans There have been reported cases of ciguatera from human consumption
