This Fiddler Ray was hanging out under Rye pier, most likely scavenging around for a snack! As Fiddler Rays are bottom dwellers, they feed on the seafloor mainly eating molluscs, crabs and small fish. Photo: Paul Sorensen
This Fiddler Ray was very friendly and came right up to us to say hi while we were diving under Blairgowrie pier. While Southern Fiddler Rays aren't harmful to humans they do have a line of denticles or little sharp toothlike structures running along the spine of their back. Photo: Mili Janjic.
This is a nice close-up angle of a Southern Fiddler Ray. Despite having ‘ray’ in their name, they are in fact not stingrays and don’t have a venomous barb like many species of stingray do. Photo: Paul Sorensen.
Welcome to the Marine Mili series, a regular column about all things marine! During this series I aim to inspire people to want to protect our oceans and all the marine life that call our oceans home. Hopefully after reading each column, you would have learnt something new including what we can do to help protect and preserve our oceans. You can follow me and my journey on my Instagram page: _marine_mili.
Southern Fiddler Rays despite having ‘ray’ in their name are in fact not stingrays and don’t have a venomous barb like many species of stingray do.
While Southern Fiddler Rays cause no harm to humans and don’t have a venomous barb, they do have a line of denticles or little sharp toothlike structures running along the spine of their back.
Southern Fiddler Rays are also known as Banjo Sharks however they aren’t a species of shark or stingray but a species of Guitarfish.
This species can weigh over 4kgs and can grow to about 1.5 metres which is six times their birth size of just 25cm.
There are two species of Fiddler Ray, both found only in Australia. These are the Southern and the Eastern Fiddler Ray.
They are both very similar despite where their habitat is and there are only three stripes on their body that distinguishes them from each other.
As Fiddler Rays are bottom dwellers, they feed on the seafloor mainly eating molluscs, crabs and small fish.
When I went for my fourth scuba dive during a learn to scuba dive/marine biology program, we came across multiple Fiddler Rays and they are truly magical creatures!
We saw one hanging around under Rye pier looking for something to eat and another at Blairgowrie pier which was my first in-water encounter with a Fiddler Ray.
I was the first to spot it out of the group. We had all been getting in the water, sitting on the lower landing platform on the pier, holding our mask to make sure no water gets in, and falling forwards into the water.
When it was my turn, I looked down as I fell forwards, and there it was. I was so blown away by how cool they are up close.
The Southern Fiddler Ray’s conservation status is currently listed as the least concern by the IUCN.
Although this species is fished by recreational fishers and of minor interest to commercial fishers, it is only allowed it be sold in small quantities.
