Glaucostegus typus
Silhouette: Lankester Edwin Ray (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The common shovelnose ray, giant shovelnose ray or giant guitarfish (Glaucostegus typus) is a species of fish in the Rhinobatidae family found in the central Indo-Pacific, ranging from India to the East China Sea, Solomon Islands and northern Australia. It is found in shallow coastal areas to a depth of at least 100 m (330 ft), including mangrove, estuaries and reportedly also in freshwaters. It reaches up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) in length, and is greyish-brown to yellowish-brown above with a paler snout.
This species has been tested for colour vision using choice experiments that control for brightness. It was the first rigorous behavioural evidence for colour vision in any elasmobranch. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sea World | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Downtown Aquarium, Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Sea Life Sydney Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Zoological Garden of Monaco | 🇲🇨 Monaco | |
| 6 | Acuario de Sevilla | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Aquarium of Western Australia | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Cairns Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Sea Life Sunshine Coast | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Sea Life Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Jakarta Aquarium | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 13 | Sea Life Michigan | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Guitarfish sighting in Ningaloo Marine Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 24 sharks and rays we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Guitarfish in Ningaloo Marine Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July, September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Ningaloo Marine Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 50 mm in June.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Guitarfish sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Ningaloo Marine Park, in our data
Ningaloo Marine Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Giant Guitarfish sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Guitarfish is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Ningaloo Marine Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
