Baby Spotted Eagle Ray * Hawaiian name: Hailepo
The Hawaiian Archipelago

A young Eagle Ray sails smoothly over sun dappled sand in gentle shoal waters.

These magnificent creatures appear as if they are flying through ocean waters and have been seen leaping from the water. They have wing like pectoral fins. Mature in four to six years. Give live birth to one to four young. In Hawaii are born in late fall. They are carnivorous, frequenting sandy bottoms, digging in the sand with their fleshy snout and lower jaw. They inhabit all warm seas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

May you be so lucky as to experience an Eagle Ray.

© 2003 Victoria McCormick