# Ray ID?



## had2reg (Aug 25, 2005)

Caught this ray at San Luis Pass this Tuesday. It was about 16" from wingtip to wingtip with a very short tail. Never seen one like it and could not find anything similar to it on Google. 

Maybe a small bat ray?

Thanks for the help.


----------



## Vsynk (Jan 4, 2012)

Looks like a good ole Southern Sting ray http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=521, they are pretty common. Other type that is normally caught down here is the cownose sting ray http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cownose_ray.

I was doing a little googling to confirm only other one that looks similar to its wings and face shape is a Butterfly stingray. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_ray information about butterfly rays that i could find.


----------



## mullethead00 (May 31, 2010)

butterfly ray is my guess. cool pic.


----------



## Vsynk (Jan 4, 2012)

The butterfly ray looks the most like what you have in the picture, but there is no specific information i can find about where they are common at. cant say i have honestly seen or caught one in this area before.


----------



## had2reg (Aug 25, 2005)

Thanks for the replies. Googled butterfly ray. Looks to be a smooth butterfly ray. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/Descript/SmoothbflyRay/smoothbflyray.html

My first! Anyone else caught one of these off of Galveston?


----------



## That Robbie Guy (Aug 11, 2009)

Bait !


----------



## alvinslash (Jan 14, 2012)

shark bait


----------



## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

People bait ! Scallops


----------



## Razzorduck (Oct 14, 2005)

Very cool catch. Thanks for the pics! You just never know when you fish in the gulf.


----------



## Capt. Hooky (May 24, 2010)

Im going to add another vote for shark bait!! Here is one we caught on a sting ray at the claypiles last year.

On a site note, anyone know what kind of shark this is? Not to derail this thread.


----------



## PBD539 (May 4, 2010)

More than likely a Blacktip, however slight possibility its a Spinner, but I doubt it. Hard to know exactly with pics provided.


----------



## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

I'll use rays for bait, but if I caught an unusual one like that I'd give it a pass. Interesting critter, thx for the pics.


----------



## McDaniel8402 (Dec 7, 2011)

That looks very much like a bat ray, and they happen to be good eating. Also, in regards to a previous post, bat rays (and numerous other rays) do not have a "stinger". Stingrays have a "stinger", the other rays, including cownose, bat ray, spotted eagle ray (another type of bat ray), and others have only a short, stubby tail with no stinger. Cool pic though.


----------



## ElTiburon (May 1, 2005)

Shark looks like a Sandbar


----------



## BCSurf (Jul 13, 2011)

X2 on sandbar for the shark id


----------



## Fishon21 (Jul 16, 2010)

*Ray*

I think it's a cownose ray , look it up


----------



## BCSurf (Jul 13, 2011)

Definitely a butterfly ray. Look it up

Have you ever seen a cownose before?


----------



## Capt. Hooky (May 24, 2010)

BCSurf said:


> X2 on sandbar for the shark id


Yea we were not sure so we released him. It was not a black tip, I know that for sure. Sure was fun to catch!


----------



## JWS (Jan 28, 2007)

Thats definitely NOT a cownose ray and as far at the shark, pretty sure its a sandbar but cant say for sure without better pics.


----------



## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

X3 on on the sandbar.


----------



## ShawnQ (May 21, 2004)

ID on that ray is a butterfly ray, no doubt.



McDaniel8402 said:


> That looks very much like a bat ray, and they happen to be good eating. Also, in regards to a previous post, bat rays (and numerous other rays) do not have a "stinger". Stingrays have a "stinger", the other rays, including cownose, bat ray, spotted eagle ray (another type of bat ray), and others have only a short, stubby tail with no stinger. Cool pic though.


FYI - don't listen to this, spottled eagle rays DO have barbs. Sometimes more than 1. They have even been known to spook, jump, and accidentally hit people.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/SERay/SERay.html

Cownose can also have a spine/barb...

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/CownoseRay/CownoseRay.html

Treat every ray as if it has a barb/spine until you verify for yourself. Just like snakes if you don't know the difference between venomous/non-venomous.


----------



## bigfost (Oct 11, 2004)

But the cow nose rays a buy in the bait shops never have a barb. LOL

Oh, and the shark is a finetooth.


----------

