Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Rhynchobatus australiae (Rhynchobatus australiae), recorded as Critically Endangered
Rhynchobatus australiae (Rhynchobatus australiae). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Rhynchobatus australiae

Rhynchobatus australiae

Rhynchobatus australiae is a shark or ray in the family Rhinidae (order Rhinopristiformes), recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Rhynchobatus australiae
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Elasmobranchii · Rhinopristiformes · Rhinidae · Rhynchobatus

Appearance

There are three white spots above each black spot. Its tail fin has distinct upper and lower lobes, unlike the fiddler and shovelnose rays, where the lower lobe is reduced. The first (anterior) dorsal fin is in line with the pelvic fins, and there is a row of thorns along the dorsal midline.

Rhynchobatus australiae reaches about 3 m (10 ft) in length.

Range and habitat

It is found from shallow waters to a depth of at least 60 m (200 ft) in the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the East African coast and the Red Sea, to Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

Sharks and rays grow slowly and have few young. A fishery that treats them as bycatch can empty a coastal form.

In crisis

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

Rhynchobatus australiae is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Rhynchobatus australiae, Wikidata item Q2342368. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of African wedgefish (Rhynchobatus luebberti), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

African wedgefish

Rhynchobatus luebberti
Photograph of Giant guitarfish (Rhynchobatus djiddensis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Giant guitarfish

Rhynchobatus djiddensis
Photograph of Smoothnose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus laevis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Smoothnose wedgefish

Rhynchobatus laevis
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus

Quick answers

What is Rhynchobatus australiae?
Rhynchobatus australiae is a shark or ray in the family Rhinidae (order Rhinopristiformes).
What is the conservation status of Rhynchobatus australiae?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Rhynchobatus australiae. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Rhynchobatus australiae live?
It is found from shallow waters to a depth of at least 60 m (200 ft) in the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the East African coast and the Red Sea, to Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia.
Why is Rhynchobatus australiae in crisis?
It is Critically Endangered on Wikidata. Read the official Red List assessment for the criteria.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Rhynchobatus australiae?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Rhynchobatus australiae a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.