Gymnura altavela
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The spiny butterfly ray or giant butterfly ray (Gymnura altavela) is a species of butterfly ray, family Gymnuridae, native to the shallow coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A large ray that can measure over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) across, it may be distinguished from the sympatric smooth butterfly ray (G. micrura) by the spine at the base of its tail and by a small tentacular structure on the margin of each spiracle. Slow-reproducing and valued for its meat, in recent decades its population has experienced a decline of over 30%, and it has become Critically Endangered in certain parts of its range.
This species has a patchy and discontinuous distribution in Atlantic tropical and warm-temperate waters. In the western Atlantic it is found from Massachusetts, United States to Buenos Aires Province, Argentina; it is rare in the Gulf of Mexico and common in the mouths of tidal creeks along the Virginia coast. In the eastern Atlantic, it is found from Portugal to Angola, including Madeira and the Canary Islands. It is also recorded in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It is found in shallow brackish and coastal waters over soft sandy or muddy substrates, at a depth...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) | 🇪🇸 Spain |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Balneário Camboriú | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Butterfly Ray sighting in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) on a given day, based on 44 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 9 sharks and rays we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September to February
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Butterfly Ray in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) on a given day, against about 50% in June, the lowest month. March has too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spiny Butterfly Ray sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife), in our data
Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Spiny Butterfly Ray sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Myliobatiformes
The closest relatives of the Spiny Butterfly Ray that you can see in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) (order Myliobatiformes, Stingrays) are Round Fantail Stingray (about 40%), Common Eagle Ray (about 30%) and Tortonese's Stingray (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spiny Butterfly Ray is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) (44 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.
