There are no target fisheries for the spotted eagle ray, but it is often eaten after being caught unintentionally as bycatch. There have been several reported incidents of spotted eagle rays leaping out of the water onto boats and landing on people.

The rays aren’t dangerous to humans and interaction with humans is very rare but they do have poisonous barbs on the end of their tail and also are unknown to jump completely out of the water which has caused a few accidents when they have landed on a boat!

16.4 feet
Adult spotted eagle ray can reach a width of 10.8 feet (3.3 m) and a total length of 16.4 feet (5 m) with an undamaged tail. Can reach a maximum weight of 507 lbs. (230 kg).

Behavior: When not foraging, Spotted eagle rays swim well off the bottom, in small groups or in groups of 50-100 when in open water. These graceful swimmers often appear to be flying through the water in synchrony. The large pectoral fins allow for ease and speed. They are also capable of leaping out of the water.

While all rays have flattened bodies, they vary by body shape (round, diamond, or triangular), their method of swimming, the thickness of their tails, and the presence of stings or barbs. Rays are not aggressive toward divers, but you should never touch a ray.

A formation of eagle rays glides in formation through a mangrove inlet. According to the web and several actual publications, they constitute a “fever.”

Near Threatened (Population decreasing)
Spotted eagle ray/Conservation status

25 years
How long does an eagle ray live? Spotted eagle rays and most other species of this fish are believed to have a lifespan of almost 25 years.

Brain-body mass ratio is the primary way in which the overall intelligence and complexity of marine life is determined and Spotted Eagle Rays have one of the highest ratios (Beautiful Oceans 2014). This means that the behaviors and social systems among A. narinari are more advanced than other marine organisms.

Mobula rays are sometimes called flying rays, thanks to their acrobatic leaping. The rays have large, flat, diamond-shaped bodies and long fins, allowing them to glide through water – and also through the air. Huge groups of the fish regularly gather together to leap out of the sea and launch themselves into the air.

The eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fishes in the family Myliobatidae, consisting mostly of large species living in the open ocean rather than on the sea bottom.

Size, Age, and Growth The spotted eagle ray reaches a maximum length of 8.2 feet (2.5 m) not including the tail, with the total length including an unbroken tail reaching close to 16.4 feet (5 m). The maximum disc width is 9.8 feet (3 m) and maximum published weight is 507 pounds (230 kg).

Eagle rays differ from other stingrays in their behavior and feeding habits. Species in this family are normally found in the open ocean, rather than on the bottom, and tend to be rather large. They are rhomboidal in shape with triangular “wings,” rather than rounded like many other stingrays.

Although it occurs in inshore waters to depths of approximately 200 feet (60 m), the spotted eagle ray spends most of its time swimming in schools in open water. In open waters, spotted eagle rays often form large schools and swim close to the surface.