Cownose rays get their name from their unique forehead, which resembles the nose of a cow. Unfortunately, there are many species of rays and skates that are considered threatened and endangered. In addition, we are developing resources that will streamline future genomics and CKMR work in cownose rays and other closely-related species of conservation concern, such as eagle rays and mobula rays. A new study shows that cownose rays return to the Chesapeake Bay when it’s time to mate. Appearance. Sharks, rays, and skates are members of the Elasmobranchii subclass of Chondrichthyes; and the cownose ray is known to do more economic and ecological impact on an environment than any shark species. One example, the common skate (Dipturus batis) is now considered critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).In fact, the IUCN Red List includes 547 species of elasmobranchs of which at least 20% are in danger of extinction. Cownose rays are related to sharks and skates. This species is a foraging predator that specializes on shelled, invertebrate prey including clams, snails, lobsters, oysters and crabs. Cownose rays have a distinct shape with long, pointed pectoral fins or “wings” that are separated into two lobes at the front of their high-domed heads – creating the cow-nose shape. Facts Summary: The Golden Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera steindachneri) is a species of concern belonging in the species group "fishes" and found in the following area(s): Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru.This species is also known by the following name(s): Hawkray, Pacific Cownose Ray. Cownose Ray Rhinoptera bonasus Cownose rays are easy to tell from other rays because their foreheads project over their deeply notched snouts. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that Oman cownose rays are considered “regionally endangered”, in part due to overfishing. This cownose ray at the Virginia Aquarium is feeding on an oyster. (Courtesy SERC) ... Ogburn said that overfishing could push them into endangered status. This stingray belongs to the Family Myliobatidae, which includes bat rays, manta rays and eagle rays. Even though they can be found in groups of thousands of rays at a time, they are considered near threatened due to over-fishing. They are brown to olive-colored on top with no spots, and pale below. As a species with a well-understood life history, cownose rays are ideal candidates for applying CKMR in the field. Endangered; Whereas there have been no assessments of East coast cownose ray population status Because manta rays (genus Mobula) are exceptionally challenging to sample, and many mobulids are listed as vulnerable or endangered (Couturier et al., 2012), we focused our efforts on a representative of their sister taxon: cownose rays of the genus Rhinoptera, which exhibit a similar body plan, including paired cephalic lobes. Cownose rays can swim in schools so large that they strip the ocean bottoms bare in … Like other rays, cownose rays have platelike teeth with which they grind up their food. To better understand this threat, we evaluated the capture and handling stress in three incidentally captured benthopelagic ray species: American cownose ray ( Rhinoptera bonasus ), Brazilian cownose ray ( Rhinoptera brasiliensis ), spotted eagle ray ( Aetobatus narinari ), and one benthic species, the longnose stingray ( Hypanus guttatus ). These rays suck snails, oysters, crabs and other shellfish from the bottom of shallow mud and sand flats. Cownose rays are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from the north-east of the United States down to southern Brazil. Including clams, snails, lobsters, oysters, crabs and other shellfish from the bottom of shallow mud sand! Are considered near threatened due to over-fishing push them into endangered status even though they can be found in western... 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