Require fisherman boatie to confirm fish species. and quick write up on if its poisonous or not etc. Everyone is stabbing it in the dark? any one confirm?
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Shark-or-Ray/
The fiddler rays or banjo sharks are a genus, Trygonorrhina, of guitarfish, family Rhinobatidae. There are two species, found along the eastern and southern coasts of Australia. They are benthic in nature, favoring shallow sandy bays, rocky reefs, and seagrass beds. The eastern fiddler is found to a depth of 120 meters and the southern fiddler to a depth of 180 meters.[1][2]
The flattened pectoral fin discs of fiddler rays are shorter and more rounded than that of other guitarfishes. Their tails are slender, with a well-developed caudal fin and two triangular dorsal fins.[3] Their snouts are translucent.[1] The fiddler rays are also distinguished from other guitarfishes in that the anterior nasal flaps of their nostrils are expanded backwards and fused together into a nasal curtain that reaches the mouth.[4]
Fiddler rays feed on bottom shellfish, crabs, and worms, which they crush between their jaws.[1] The eastern fiddler ray is known to scavenge from fish traps.[4] Like other guitarfishes, fiddler rays are ovoviviparous. The egg capsules of the southern fiddler ray are reported to be golden in color, containing three embryos each.[2] It gives birth to litters of 4-6 young per breeding cycle.[5] Fiddler rays are harmless and easily approached by divers.[1] Southern fiddler rays are taken as bycatch by commercial trawlers and by recreational fishers; the flesh is of good quality and sold in small quantities.[5]
Sorry KDOG its a banjo shark or a fiddler ray Wiki doesn't seem to answer that one! Was that a trick question?!!!!
Yeah I recon so. Couldn't understand why it was called a shark.... kind of a sharkray...... because of the long thick tail perhaps......
Sailhack, you know if its safe to swim around those big rays in the bay here? I'd like to get some cool pics or videos of some. Obviously non-invasive style, just swim next to my board and see if they come up and around......
I have seen some massive ones down Mt Martha......
