Flat body, gray brown to nearly black with numerous white spots and white underside. Triangular disc or “wings”, protruding head and long slender tail with single spine.
Nearly threatened according to the IUCN Red list. Fairly common, but decreasing in numbers in tropical and warm temperate seas.
Circumglobal. Western Atlantic: North Carolina (summer) and Florida, USA and Bermuda to southern Brazil. Throughout Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, including Antilles. Eastern Atlantic: Mauritania to Angola. Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and South Africa to Hawaii, north to Japan, south to Australia. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California to Puerto Pizarro, Peru and the Galapagos Islands, in a depth range of 1-80 meters.
Ovoviviparous (eggs hatch inside the female and she gives birth to 2-4 live young)
Up to 350cm (disc- or wingspan), but normally smaller, around 180cm.
Feeds mainly on bivalves but also eats shrimps, crabs, octopus and worms, whelks, and small fishes.
This species has become threatened due to commercial fishing.