A dazzling and graceful inhabitant of the eastern Pacific Ocean, a species that seems to bring sunlight with it wherever it swims. Found from Mazatlán, Mexico, down through Central America to northern Peru, this beautiful ray is instantly recognizable by its warm golden-brown to copper-colored back that glows under the water’s surface. Like its relatives in the cownose ray family (Rhinopteridae), it has a distinctive cow-like snout split into two rounded lobes, giving it a gentle, curious expression.

What makes the golden cownose ray truly unique is its combination of elegance, intelligence, and social behavior. It is a highly social species, often seen swimming in large schools of hundreds or even thousands of individuals. These vast groups migrate seasonally along coastlines, following currents and the abundance of food. Their synchronized swimming creates mesmerizing patterns that can sometimes be seen from boats or even from the air—long ribbons of golden shapes undulating through blue water. Unlike stingrays that spend much of their time resting on the sea floor, golden cownose rays are strong, active swimmers, spending most of their lives in the open water, just below the surface.

The golden cownose ray uses its specialized snout like a plow, turning over sand and silt on the seabed to uncover buried prey. Beneath that snout are rows of flat, grinding teeth perfect for crushing the shells of clams, oysters, and crabs. They are benthic feeders—meaning they feed near the sea floor—but their graceful movements during foraging often stir up sediment, which benefits other marine species by releasing nutrients and exposing hidden food. Like other rays, they rely on electroreception, using tiny sensory pores to detect the faint electrical signals of buried prey.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Colombia

2019

Costa Rica

2019

Ecuador

2019

,

El Salvador

2019

Guatemala

2019

Honduras

2019

Mexico

2019

Nicaragua

2019

Panama

2019

Peru

2019