Common guitarfish
Rhinobatos rhinobatos
- Scientific name
- Rhinobatos rhinobatos
- Group
- Sharks & Rays
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Mediterranean
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Critically endangered
Did you know?
The common guitarfish, with a body shape that blends shark and ray, buries itself in sand to ambush prey; its Mediterranean populations have dropped by more than 80% due to trawl fishing.
What defines this group — Sharks & Rays
The cartilaginous fish: not a single bone in the body, a skeleton made entirely of cartilage.
- A cartilage skeleton, lighter and more flexible than bone.
- No gill cover: five to seven gill slits open on the sides or underneath.
- Pores on the snout — the ampullae of Lorenzini — pick up the electric field of prey.
Other species in this group
- Common stingray
- Blacktip reef shark
- Small-spotted catshark
- Common torpedo ray
- Bluespotted ribbontail ray
- Thornback ray