Giant Guitarfish

Rays and Skates

Glaucostegus typus

Max Size

Up to 2.7 meters

Detail Information

A shark-like ray with a translucent snout

A ray that looks like a shark

The giant guitarfish has a flattened body and ventral gill slits typical of a ray, but its prominent dorsal fins and powerful tail give it a distinct shark-like appearance. When swimming, giant guitarfish use their tail to propel themselves through the water rather than flapping their pectoral fins like many other rays do.

The guitar-shaped head

Giant guitarfish have a long, flattened, and pointed snout with a broad, wedge-shaped disc that resembles the shape of a guitar or a shovel. This is why they are sometimes also called giant shovelnose rays.

They have small eyes and spiracles on the top of their head, with a downward-facing mouth on the underside of the body. They also have long, triangular translucent margins on their snouts, giving them a distinctive appearance.

At the bottom of warm waters

Giant guitarfish live on or near the seafloor in tropical and subtropical coastal waters. They can be found in a variety of habitats, including sandy areas, coral reefs, and mangroves.

Their dorsal coloration ranges from yellowish-brown to greyish-brown, with a pale underside. This coloration helps them blend into their surroundings, hiding from both predators and prey by burying themselves in the sand. They are known to come to shallow waters at night to forage, feeding on small fish and invertebrates.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Rhinopristiformes
Family: Glaucostegidae
Species: Glaucostegus typus