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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing cownose rays. These are cartilaginous fish, meaning their skeletons are made of cartilage instead of bone, just like the sharks they’re related to! They get their common name “cownose” because the front of their faces look like a cow’s nose. Can you see the resemblance? There are just under a dozen living species in the cownose ray genus. These fish are found in coastal marine waters and estuaries in tropical and temperate waters around the world. They’re most commonly seen in water no deeper than 72 feet (22m). Cownose rays spend most of their time along the surface of the ocean. People worry about this ray’s sting, but, because they tend to stay near the top of the water column, it’s unlikely for someone to step on them, which is when most people get stung by these types of fish. A cownose ray’s stinger is located near the base of their tail and in the event that a human is stung by them - which almost always happens in defense - the sting can be harmful, but it is not fatal.

When these fish do swim along the bottom of the ocean, they’re often searching for food. Cownose rays use their large, wing-like fins to stir up the sediment and dig up crabs, clams, oysters, snails, and more. They use Ampullae of Lorenzini, which detect the tiny electric fields these prey animals produce, to find buried food. A large group of cownose rays can stir up so much sediment it makes the surrounding water cloudy! These fish use the lobes on their heads to help direct food into their mouths located on the underside of their bodies; this is similar to manta rays! After crushing prey with their plate-like teeth, they’ll spit out the shells. Cownose ray teeth are distinct and we feel they look a little like a snake’s belly scales. What do you think?

Some cownose ray species can reach over three feet (1m) in length from wing tip to wing tip, though others may not even reach half this size. Even with that size, these rays may still be eaten by sharks like hammerheads and bull sharks. They’re also eaten by humans! Currently, some cownose ray species, like the American, Pacific, and Javanese cownose rays, are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

It may take anywhere from four to eight years for these rays to reach reproductive maturity. They’ll gather in large groups and males may chase females around for a chance to breed with them. The females swim towards the water’s surface and may even lift their fins out of the water to avoid mating. This can look like a shark’s dorsal fin from a distance! Males attempt to grab the tips of the female’s fins in their mouth and multiple males may chase a female at once. They’ll even jump out of the water to try and grab her! Other reasons cownose rays may leap into the air include showing reproductive readiness and dislodging parasites, like the ocean sunfish. After mating, the female gestates for six to twelve months; the exact length of time isn’t fully understood. The eggs are retained in her body and hatch inside her before being born live. Typically a cownose ray gives birth to a single pup, though some mothers have been seen with up to six full-term offspring. Cownose rays may live to be fifteen or older if they can survive the treacherous ocean. They go on oceanic migrations where they may encounter any number of obstacles. But, they’ve been seen in groups numbering upwards of 10,000 individuals, so there’s safety in numbers!

For more facts on cownose rays, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! Thank you to elephant puppet for today’s request! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!