Shortfin Devil Ray

The Mobula kuhlii, commonly known as the shortfin devil ray, is a marine species within the Mobulidae family, predominantly found in the 🌊 Indian Ocean and central-west 🌊 Pacific Ocean. Its geographical range extends from the coastal regions of 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇲🇿 Mozambique, Tanzania, and the 🇸🇨 Seychelles eastward to the 🇵🇭 Philippines and 🇮🇩 Indonesia, and southward to the northern coastline of 🇦🇺 Australia.

This species is a relatively small member of the eagle ray family, reaching a maximum wingspan of 120 cm (47 in) and a weight of 30 kilograms (66 lbs). It inhabits depths ranging from 0 to 50 meters. Morphologically, the shortfin devil ray exhibits a horizontally flattened body with a broad central disc. The head is characterized by a short structure with small cephalic fins, while the large pectoral fins exhibit curved tips. Notably, the dorsal fin is marked with a distinctive white tip, and the tail, lacking a spine, is shorter than the body itself. The dorsal surface is brown and free of placoid scales, contrasting with the white ventral surface.

The dietary habits of the shortfin devil ray primarily include plankton, with potential consumption of small fish and squid. This species employs a feeding strategy of swimming with an open mouth, allowing water to flow over its gill rakers, which filter out nutritive particles. Reproductively, the shortfin devil ray is ovoviviparous, bearing the lowest reproductive rate among elasmobranchs, typically producing a single pup per litter with a gestation period spanning one to three years.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the shortfin devil ray as an endangered species, primarily due to its susceptibility to both targeted and bycatch fisheries. The species' low reproductive rate further exacerbates its vulnerability to overfishing. Targeted fisheries are notably active in regions such as 🇮🇳 India, 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, and 🇹🇭 Thailand, with significant capture recorded in 🇮🇩 Indonesia, where the rays are harvested for their gill rakers, a highly sought-after commodity in traditional Chinese medicine. Additionally, the species is exploited for human consumption, with its flesh consumed as food, skin dried and deep-fried, and cartilage used as a substitute in the production of shark fin soup.