RIP Guitar Fish

 Yesterday (5/27/24) at 9:30am we came across a guitar fish or a 'Rhinobatidae', its a cartilaginous fish, similar to a ray or skate. Although it was dead it was a cool sight given we just caught and observed a string ray. These two creatures look alike and have very similar features, but they are drastically different. Guitar fish are known for their elongated body with a flattened head on trunk, and small wings. They are endangered at a global level, they migrate seasonally to give birth so they are vulnerable to fishing activities. Common guitarfish mostly eat fish and invertebrates, like mollusks and crustaceans. The common guitarfish live in shallow, sandy, and muddy habitats, this is why we found this particular one at Cholla Bay. Guitar have many other threats other than fisheries, they are mostly captured for their fins to meet high demand for shark fins. 

As said previously guitarfish are a group of skates, which are most commonly confused with stingrays. The most common differences are guitarfish don't have "stingers" like some rays, and they are harmless to people. Most stringrays have a barb that have serrated venomous spines at the base of their tails. In conclusion, the size, the barb, and the body type can help you determine the difference between a guitarfish and a stingray. 








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