- Fish
Bowmouth guitarfish
Elusive fish that have become even harder to see
Bowmouth guitarfish are solitary by nature in their home waters of the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. They’re also classified as “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, making sightings in the wild even rarer. Learn more about this fascinating species—then plan a visit to come see the bowmouth guitarfish in our care!
At the Aquarium
- The Reef, Ocean Pavilion
Ray, shark...dinosaur?
Bowmouth guitarfish (Rhina ancylostomus) have been around for millions of years—and it shows. These prehistoric-looking fish get their common name from their longbow-shaped mouths and guitar-shaped bodies. They look like a mashup of a ray, a shark and a dinosaur! But, although they’re close relatives to sharks, they’re classified as rays. Why is that? Unlike sharks, they have flat bodies with wing-like pectoral fins, and mouths and gills on the underside of their bodies.
Shallow waters, low profile
These rays hang out close to shore, near the bottom at depths of 65 feet or less. While juveniles are brown to bluish-gray, adults are grayish-brown. This coloration helps them blend in with the muddy or sandy seafloors where they hunt—primarily by using their sense of smell, since their eyes are on top of their heads. Their ridged jaws and flat teeth are ideal for crunching the bottom-dwelling crustaceans and mollusks (such as crabs, lobsters and clams) that they prefer.
Ovovivi-what?
Bowmouth guitarfish are ovoviviparous, which means that the female produces eggs that hatch inside her body before she births them, and after a gestational period of about one year. (Fast fact: most shark species are either ovoviviparous or viviparous, meaning that females produce live pups instead of eggs). Litters of bowmouth guitarfish can number anywhere from two to 12 pups, each about 18 inches long. Full-grown adults are typically about 8 feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds.
Surprise, it’s a…!
We at the Seattle Aquarium are fortunate to have a bowmouth guitarfish in our care—and the details of how it came to happen are amazing. Read our web story to learn more and check out a video of the pup. In the meantime, spoiler alert: she’s a girl! She’s thriving on restaurant-quality, sustainably sourced foods such as Dungeness crab, spiny lobster and Pacific white shrimp—just what she needs to maintain her powerful teeth.
No time to lose
There’s no way around it: bowmouth guitarfish are in danger of extinction. Fishing records suggest we’ve lost more than 80 percent of the species in recent years. They reproduce slowly, which means they can’t recover quickly from the multiple threats they face, including targeted fishing, being caught as bycatch by commercial fisheries, habitat degradation and pollution. When you purchase tickets to the Seattle Aquarium, you’re also helping to support bowmouth guitarfish conservation efforts. Plan a visit today!
Quick facts
Bowmouth guitarfish are classified as “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which means they have an extremely high risk of extinction.
Although they’re close relatives to sharks, bowmouth guitarfish are rays—the gills on their undersides are a telltale sign.
Adults have a grayish-brown coloration that helps them blend in with the sandy or muddy seafloors where they spend their time.
