Haller's Round Ray

Haller's round ray is a small stingray that lies half-buried in sand, easy to miss until it flicks away underfoot. It grows to about 58 cm and can weigh up to 1,360 g.

Most rays in the same habitat have an angular, diamond-shaped disc, so this species' nearly circular disc is the quickest way to tell it apart.

Its pectoral fin disc is nearly round, in contrast to the diamond or spade shapes of most other rays. Colour is brown or greyish-brown above, often with pale yellow spots or a mottled pattern, and white to yellowish below. The tail is short and thick, ending in a long, thick, serrated spine.

It lives close to shore over sand or mud bottoms, often among eelgrass beds or near rocky reefs, usually at depths of 1 to 21 m, though it has been found as deep as 91 m. Its range covers the coastal waters of the northeastern Pacific, from California south to Panama.

It forages by day, digging pits in the sand with its disc and mouth to uncover buried worms, small crabs, and shellfish. Adults tend to separate by sex, with females favouring deeper water and males and young rays staying in the shallows. It is most active in the warmer months of summer and fall.

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  Atlantic Stingray

  Hypanus sabinus

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  Bluntnose Stingray

  Hypanus say

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  Broad Cowtail Ray

  Pastinachus ater

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  Common Stingray

  Dasyatis pastinaca

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  Feathertail Stingray

  Pastinachus sephen

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  Marbled Ray

  Taeniura grabata