Sharks & Rays

There are over 900 species of sharks and rays. They are found in oceans, and some freshwater, all over the world. They evolved from a bony fish ancestor, into an animal with a much lighter skeleton made up of cartilage.

Most rays, shovel nose rays, and carpet sharks, are bottom dwellers, while most other sharks are more or less open water animals. It is difficult to draw a true distinction between the two groups, as there are some species that are a mix between the two, especially the ‘shovel-nose rays’ and ‘guitar fish’.

The first recognizable rays probably evolved from sharks about 200 million years ago. The best known, ‘typical’ rays have a greatly flattened body, and the pectoral fins (which are found on other fishes as small fins on either side of the body) have been greatly extended to form the rounded body ‘disc’ or ‘wings’, which they flap to get locomotion. Some ‘rays’ have a fully developed thick tail as part of the body, while in others it is reduced to a whip that can sting, and in others there is almost no tail at all. The eyes of ‘sharks’ tend to be at the side of the head, while in the flattened rays they are on top of the head. In terms of breathing apparatus, ‘rays’ tend to have their gills on the underside, while ‘sharks’ have them on the side. Rather than the scales that bony fish have, sharks and rays have ‘denticles’, which can feel quite rough to the touch.

where to see sharks and rays?

There are plenty of places to see sharks and rays.

Tropical areas around coral reefs are better, because the water is warmer and clearer, and the species involved tend to be fish eaters, not people eaters!

In some areas it is just a matter of patience, waiting for a shark to cruise by. Drop off are good places, as sharks often cruise along the walls. A giant guitar fish/shovel nose ray can sometimes be seen underneath the jetty at Green Island, Queensland. Blue spotted Rays are common in sandy shallows around Michalemas Cay and Lizard Island.

But in other places they feed the sharks and rays. And even in places where they used to feed sharks, they may be much more visible, such as at Marovo Lagoon, the Solomon Islands.