Myliobatis aquila Although it is considered harmless to humans, this ray should be handled carefully because of the sharp spine at the base of its very long tail. It has a diamond-shaped pectoral disc that is much wider than long, with trailing pointed fins, usually a dark coppery to blackish on
Danger to Humans This ray is considered harmless to humans, however care must be
Parmaturus xaniurus This small, soft-bodied shark lives in deep water along the Eastern Pacific so it has larger eyes for low light, and larger gills for lower oxygen levels. It is slender and gray-brown, with lobed fins set further back on its body, and it rarely grows longer than 21 inches long
Danger to Humans The filetail catshark is considered harmless to humans due to its
Haploblepharus edwardsii This long, slender catshark prefers deeper cold waters off of coastal South Africa where it lies sedentary on the seafloor and scavenges crustaceans, polychaetes and small fishes. It is a sandy brown, with dark-outlined reddish saddles and dark and white spots, providing
Danger to Humans The puffadder shyshark poses little threat to humans due to its
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
Carcharhinus isodon This small slender shark gets its name from its rows of small, fine, clear teeth. This social shark forms schools to hunt fish like menhaden and mullet, sometimes energetically chasing them into the beach surf (Castro, 1993). Order – Carcharhiniformes Family – Carcharhinid
Danger to Humans While this shark is not involved in any reported injuries, care
Negaprion brevirostris The lemon shark is easily recognized for its two, equally-sized dorsal fins and its yellow-brown to olive color- an ideal camouflage against the sandy in-shore areas they prefer to forage in. Lemon sharks average between 8 to 10 feet long as adults, but are generally not co
Danger to Humans Lemon sharks represent little threat to humans.
Epinephelus morio This stout, almond-shaped fish is a dark reddish brown on top, fading to a lighter pink underneath, with lighter spots and blotches across its body and darker margins to its fins. It has large, round eyes over a pointed snout, and a continuous spiny dorsal fin that ends at the s
Danger to Humans There have been reported cases of ciguatera from human consumption
Orectolobus maculatus This carpet shark has a flattened stocky body, stout tail, and wide lobed fins. Its upper lip is lined with dermal lobes that act as both camouflage and as bait for unsuspecting prey. This wobbegong can be distinduished from other wobbegong species by its golden sandy to lig
Image © Doug Perrine Danger to Humans The spotted wobbegong can be aggressive.
