guitarfish
Lute-shaped ray
A guitarfish is a ray with a body shaped like a guitar—a flattened, pointed head tapering into a broader, rounded body with a shark-like tail.
These bottom-dwelling fish live in warm coastal waters and are sometimes called shovelhead sharks, though they're true rays.
We spotted a guitarfish half-buried in the sand.
Composed of flexible connective tissue
- rostrumRaised speaker's platform
- pectoral finsFish steering appendages
- dorsal finFish's rear stabilizer
- gill slitsRespiratory openings in fish
spiracles · placoid scales · snout · disc · elongated · flattened · shovelnose
Of the sea bottom
- bottom-dwellerOrganism living on substrate
- sandyFull of fine grains
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
- coral reefCalcium carbonate marine ecosystem
estuary · mangrove · kelp forest · shallow · tropical · subtropical · Indo-Pacific · Mediterranean
At extinction's edge
- bycatchNon-target species caught accidentally
- trawl netsFishing mesh pulled behind boats
- overfishingUnsustainable marine harvest
- CITESWildlife trade agreement
protected · vulnerable · declining · fisheries · sustainable · population collapse · extinction risk · angel shark
Seeking wild food sources
- crushingOverwhelming in intensity
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- crustaceanAquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
- buriedPlaced beneath earth
ambush · nocturnal · filter · camouflage · mermaid's purse · pup · schooling · migration
Made smooth or level
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- wedge-shapedTapering to an edge
- triangularThree-cornered in form
- streamlinedMade smooth and efficient
disc · tapered · intermediate · silhouette · outline · body plan · fusiform
cartilaginous
Composed of flexible connective tissue
- rostrumRaised speaker's platform
- pectoral finsFish steering appendages
- dorsal finFish's rear stabilizer
gill slits · spiracles · placoid scales · snout · disc · elongated · flattened · shovelnose
benthic
Of the sea bottom
- bottom-dwellerOrganism living on substrate
- sandyFull of fine grains
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
coral reef · estuary · mangrove · kelp forest · shallow · tropical · subtropical · Indo-Pacific · Mediterranean · coastal
critically endangered
At extinction's edge
- bycatchNon-target species caught accidentally
- trawl netsFishing mesh pulled behind boats
- overfishingUnsustainable marine harvest
CITES · protected · vulnerable · declining · fisheries · sustainable · population collapse · extinction risk · angel shark
foraging
Seeking wild food sources
- crushingOverwhelming in intensity
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- crustaceanAquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
buried · ambush · nocturnal · filter · camouflage · mermaid's purse · pup · schooling · migration
flattened
Made smooth or level
- elongatedStretched beyond usual dimensions
- wedge-shapedTapering to an edge
- triangularThree-cornered in form
streamlined · disc · tapered · intermediate · silhouette · outline · body plan · fusiform
- guitarfish
- scaleless fishhagfish, lamprey, eel, catfish, lungfish
- Sea of Cortezvaquita, California sea lion, whale shark, gray whale, blue whale
- Cartilaginous Fishshark, sharks, ray, rays, skate
- rayssunray, light ray, stingray, ray of light, manta ray
- electric fishelectric eel, electric ray, knifefish, stargazer
guitarfishgreat white shark
Largest predatory fish
hammerhead shark · mako shark · manta ray · whale shark · tiger shark
fish, fishing, fisherman, fished, fishermen, fishery, fisherwoman, guitars, guitarist