Ray with a flattened snout like a duck's bill and a dark back covered in white spots, that swims near the surface and sometimes leaps out of the water. Not on Brazil's list of threatened species, but Endangered (EN) in the IUCN global assessment.
Also called: raia-chita, arraia-chita, raia-pintada, arraia-pintada, arraia-bico-de-viúva, arraia-malhada, arraia-pinta-de-manga, arraia-capote
The spotted eagle ray is the eagle ray of the western Atlantic: a wide disc with angular tips, a thick head and a duck-bill snout. It lives in shallow coastal waters, bays, reefs and estuary mouths, from the surface down to about 80 m, and swims near the surface or close to the bottom, often in groups outside the breeding season. It digs the bottom for polychaetes, clams, snails, squid, shrimp and small fish, which it crushes with plate-like teeth. The female bears live young in litters of 2 to 4, so recovery is slow. IUCN classifies it as Endangered (2020). In Brazil it is not on the national list, but it is caught in artisanal fishing; in sport fishing it is rare and accidental. Size is measured by disc width.
fun facts
Swims near the surface and can leap out of the water, according to FishBase.
Mating, described by Uchida and colleagues (1990, cited by FishBase), involves the male chasing the female in midwater and biting her pectoral fin; the act lasts 20 seconds to 1 minute.
The first records of courtship and mating of the species in the wild in Brazil come from the protection zone of Ilha Anchieta (SP): mating in March 2023 and courtship in January 2024.
The teeth, in flattened half-moon plates, form a single band that crushes the shells of the mollusks it feeds on.
how to recognize it
identification
Black or bluish on top, covered in white spots, and white below. Long, flattened, rounded snout, like a duck's bill, projecting from a thick head. Pectoral fins with angular, curved tips. It has no caudal fin: the tail is a long whip with a stinger near the base and a small dorsal fin just in front of it. Teeth in a single row of flattened plates. The other rays of the coast (raia-prego and butterfly ray) lack a bill-shaped snout and white spots; the raia-ticonha has lobes on its head. In the Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific, spotted rays are different species (A. ocellatus and A. laticeps).
how whitespotted eagle ray fishing looks
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
In the western Atlantic, from the southern United States (about 36°N) to southeastern Brazil (to about 24°S, according to FishBase), including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The spotted rays of the Indo-Pacific (A. ocellatus) and eastern Pacific (A. laticeps) are different species, according to FishBase. In the Southeast, mating has been recorded in the marine protection zone of Ilha Anchieta State Park (SP).
Habitat: Shallow coastal waters, bays, estuary mouths and reefs; swims near the surface or close to the bottom, alone or in schools.
coast
North CoastNortheast CoastSoutheast Coastcoastalshelf
calendar and clock
when to fish
best season
time of yearbest: Dec–Mar
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Estimate: present year-round, with more encounters in summer in shallow waters of the Southeast, when mating was observed (January to March at Ilha Anchieta, SP). There is no catch season: it is not a target species.
best time of day
Daytime. Most often seen by day, swimming near the surface or stirring the bottom; the daily rhythm on the Brazilian coast is poorly documented.
weather, water and behavior
what affects the whitespotted eagle ray
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Warm-water species; a drop in temperature keeps the ray out of shallow waters.
atmospheric pressure
Little known effect.
moon
No known effect; large tides change where it feeds on shallow banks.
rain
Not very relevant.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Tends to move away from boats and people in shallow, clear water.
wind
Rough seas make any observation or fishing difficult.
tide
The tide moves the sand and mud banks where it stirs the bottom for mollusks.
depth
From 1 to 80 m; swims near the surface or close to the bottom.
technique, gear and bait
how to fish
rod
Not a target species; catch is rare and accidental.
spinning / baitcasting reel
Not applicable.
line
Not applicable.
leader
Not applicable.
hook
Barbless circle hook (or one with the barb flattened) for bottom fishing: it comes out more easily and causes less injury.
accessories
cutting pliers
long-handled hook remover
thick gloves
tip from an angler
If a large ray hooks up, don't pull it toward the boat or onto the sand: it is heavy, and the tail stinger causes a serious wound. Keep it in the water, cut the line close to the hook and let it go.
what the law says
rules for the whitespotted eagle ray
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency. Conservation: Global: Endangered (EN, criterion A2bd), assessed on Jul 28, 2020 (IUCN, version 2025-2, via FishBase). Not on the Brazilian national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026).
Finning banned: rays and sharks only whole, with their fins
fins naturally attached to the body
Finning is banned in Brazil (cutting off the fins and discarding the rest of the body). The rule covers landing, transport and trade by fishing vessels: every shark or ray must arrive whole, with its fins naturally attached to the body (partial cutting to fold them against the body is allowed); it is forbidden to carry on board an animal without fins or with loose fins, and to transfer sharks and rays between vessels. For rays, removing and discarding the tail on board is permitted (art. 3, § 6, added by IN Interministerial 6/2013).
Mexico: up to 10 fish per day and no more than 5 of the same species
10 fish per angler per day, no more than 5 of the same species
In recreational sport fishing in Mexican marine waters, the limit is ten specimens per angler per day, with no more than five of the same species. Sport-caught fish may not be sold, and fishing is not allowed inside protected natural areas and refuge zones without following their own rules. Specimens beyond the quota may only be returned alive (catch and release). The spotted eagle ray is Endangered worldwide: prefer to release it.
Colombia: marine sharks and rays are not fishery resources
commercial or sport extraction not permittedconfirm with the agency
In 2021 Colombia stopped considering sharks and marine rays a fishery resource and began treating them as a hydrobiological resource; the recitals of Decree 281/2021 state that they may not be extracted for commercial or sport purposes, and the decree created an environmental protection plan. Later AUNAP rules dealt with incidental catch in artisanal fishing; we did not check the consolidated text. When in doubt, release it into the water.
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
A large ray is heavy and its stinger wounds (FishBase: traumatogenic species). Keep it in the water, cut the line as close to the hook as possible, and let it go. Don't lift it by the tail, snout or gills, and don't drag it across the sand.
in the kitchen
It has small-scale commercial use and is sold locally in parts of Brazil (Karlovic et al., 2024), but since it is Endangered worldwide, good practice is to release it.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01, b = 3.04; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
The seasonal weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on field experience from anglers and guides. The water temperature range and the common size range are also editorial estimates, supported by FishBase. The months show when an angler usually finds the species, not a catch season. They are not official data or measurements made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
scientificFishBase: Aetobatus narinari (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight relationship, depth, habitat, distribution, biology and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026. The common size range on this card runs from the maturity size (110 cm width) to the common length (140 cm) given by FishBase. The common weight was calculated with the card's length-weight relationship (lw) at the ends of the common size range.
