Fish diurnal

Bowmouth Guitarfish

Rhina ancylostomus

Meet the 'Shark Ray' of the Indo-Pacific, a stunning armored wonder featuring a 'W-shaped' smile and a coat of starry white spots. A rare sight for any observer, the Bowmouth Guitarfish is a true masterpiece of marine evolution.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft); weight up to 135 kg (298 lb)

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Colors

Bluish-gray, charcoal, or sandy brown with prominent white spots across the back and fins; features two distinct black spots above the pectoral fins and black-tipped thorny ridges.

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Key Features

Distinctive rounded, W-shaped undulating mouth
Heavy, bony thorny ridges over the eyes and along the mid-back
Thick, shark-like body with two large dorsal fins and a powerful tail

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern diurnal

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Peak hours 8 AM - 5 PM

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Season Year-round

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Diet A specialized carnivore that uses its undulating, pavement-like teeth to crush crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and various mollusks.

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Habitat Tropical coastal waters, specifically sandy or muddy seafloors and the edges of coral reefs and mangroves.

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Behavior

The Bowmouth Guitarfish, often called the Shark Ray, is a fascinating evolutionary bridge between sharks and rays. Despite its intimidating, thorny appearance and shark-like silhouette, it is a generally placid bottom-dweller. It spends its time cruising slowly over sandy flats or resting near coral reefs, using its highly specialized mouth to forage for hard-shelled prey. While they are solitary by nature, they are occasionally seen in the same feeding grounds where crustacean populations are high.

Interaction with humans is rare due to their declining numbers and preference for deeper coastal waters, but they are known to be strong, powerful swimmers when hooked or handled. In an aquarium or controlled setting, they have shown a high level of intelligence and can even be trained for target feeding. In the wild, their movement is methodical, patrolling the seafloor with rhythmic beats of their large caudal fin.

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Camera Tips

To capture a Bowmouth Guitarfish on an underwater trail camera, placement is everything. Since these are benthic (bottom-dwelling) creatures, your camera must be mounted very low, ideally 12 to 24 inches above the seabed. Look for 'natural highways'—sandy channels between reef structures or areas where the seafloor transitions from mud to rock. Angling the camera slightly downward will ensure you capture the unique 'bow' shape of their snout and their distinctive facial ridges as they pass by.

Visibility and lighting are your biggest hurdles in the tropical coastal environments they inhabit. Use a camera housing equipped with high-powered LED video lights or external strobes mounted at a 45-degree angle to the lens. This setup helps reduce backscatter—the annoying reflection of sand and plankton in the water—which is common in the muddy habitats Bowmouth Guitarfish prefer. If you are using a trigger-based system, ensure the sensor is calibrated for larger moving masses to avoid being set off by small reef fish.

While we don't recommend traditional 'baiting' in fragile reef ecosystems, a 'scent lure' can be incredibly effective. Placing a perforated PVC tube filled with crushed crab or shrimp just outside the camera's field of view can encourage a Bowmouth Guitarfish to linger in front of the lens. Because they are powerful swimmers, set your camera to a high shutter speed or at least 60 frames per second for video to prevent motion blur when they flick their shark-like tails to accelerate.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Bowmouth Guitarfish.

Giant Guitarfish

Has a much more pointed, triangular snout and lacks the distinctive thorny ridges and white spotting found on the Bowmouth.

Whitespotted Wedgefish

Has a wedge-shaped snout and a different arrangement of white spots, usually lacking the 'W' mouth line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bowmouth Guitarfish are primarily diurnal, meaning they are most active during daylight hours when they patrol the seafloor for crustaceans.

Attracting them requires scent lures like crushed crab or shrimp placed in a secure mesh bag or perforated tube near the seafloor to mimic their natural prey.

They specialize in 'shell-crunching,' eating crabs, shrimp, and various mollusks using their heavy, undulating rows of teeth.

No, they are considered a rare and vulnerable species. While they live in coastal waters, sightings are infrequent due to overfishing and habitat loss.

Look for the thick, shark-like tail and dorsal fins combined with a rounded 'bow' snout and thorny ridges over the eyes—features other rays lack.

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