Myliobatis tenuicaudatus
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The New Zealand eagle ray or Australian eagle ray (Myliobatis tenuicaudatus) is an eagle ray of the family Myliobatidae, found in bays, estuaries, and near rocky reefs around New Zealand and southern Australia on the inner continental shelf. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Myliobatis tenuicaudatus was first described in 1877 by the Scottish naturalist James Hector, who was director of the geological survey of New Zealand; the fish was thought to be endemic to New Zealand. Subsequently, in 1881, the Australian zoologist William John Macleay described Myliobatis australis from the waters of Southern Australia as a new species. In a generic revision in 2014, W.T. White determined that the two are synonymous, and that M. australis is a junior synonym of M. tenuicaudatus.
The New Zealand eagle ray is a cartilaginous fish with a roughly circular disc-like body, a projecting frog-like head, large fleshy pectoral fins and a long tail armed with a spine that is capable of injecting venom. The pectoral fins beat up and down so that the fish appears... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mundo Marino | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Melbourne Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Sea Life Sydney Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Aquarium of Western Australia | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Eagle Ray sighting in Rottnest Island on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Eagle Ray sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Rottnest Island, in our data
Rottnest Island is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Eagle Ray sightings: about 60% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Myliobatiformes
The closest relatives of the Southern Eagle Ray that you can see in Rottnest Island (order Myliobatiformes, Stingrays) are Striped Stingaree (about 60%) and Short-tail Stingray (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Eagle Ray is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Rottnest Island (16 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.
