Marble Ray
The marble ray, or round ribbontail ray, is found throughout the shallower waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. These rays are popular for ecotourism divers, due to their usually docile nature, large size and striking appearance.
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Dasyatidae
Genus: Taeniura
Species: T. meyeni
Common Names: Marble Ray, Marbled Ray, Round Ribbontail Ray, Black Spotted Ray, Black-Blotched Stingray, Fantail Ray, Giant Reef Ray, Speckled Stingray, Bull Ray
Marble rays usually spend the day resting in caves or under ledges, venturing out to feed at night. They eat crabs, shrimps, other invertebrates, and small fish. Large fish, sharks, and marine mammals are known to feed on marble rays.
Like other stingrays, the marble ray is aplacental viviparous, meaning the eggs develop within the mother before the babies are born live. Up to seven pups may be born to a litter, measuring as much as two feet long each.
The marble ray features a flattened, circular body with a variable pattern of splotches and mottling on its dorsal side. Its main coloration is usually gray, though it may vary from dark to light. Its tail is black.
Like most ray species, it has a venomous spine on its tail that can inflict a painful sting. While the marble ray is often docile and non-aggressive, if harassed it may lash out with its tail spine.
The marble ray is one of the larger species of stingray, growing up to nearly six feet across. Including the tail, it may be 11 feet long, and it can weigh over 300 pounds.
Though it is placed in the genus Taeniura with the bluespotted ray (T. lymma), there is some disagreement among scientists as to where this stingray should be classified. Some believe it belongs in the same family as freshwater river stingrays. Others believe it is more closely related to stingrays of the genus Dasyatis and Himantura than it is to the bluespotted ray.
The marble ray is considered a Vulnerable species, currently facing threats due to overfishing. Its low reproductive rates means it is slow to recover from heavy fishing. It is also threatened by habitat loss due to climate change, pollution, and destructive fishing techniques including “blast fishing” that uses dynamite.
Marble rays are important for ecotourism in many areas, as visitors seek to swim with these typically docile and non-aggressive large rays.