Shark Report: Atlantic Guitarfish

By: Bloody Bill

Article Category: Shark Report 3 Comments

Rhinobatus lentinginosus, the Atlantic Guitarfish

Well, Bloody Bill just got back from being out at sea, not as a fisherman and not as a deckhand (as much as some in the panhandle would like to believe — you know who you are).

I just came off the research vessel Tommy Munro out of southern Mississippi and serving as a scientist. Many thanks to the crew of this great vessel for helping myself and the other scientists in completing our tasks and making our trip a truly enjoyable experience. It was during this research trip that we came across one of the few species I’d never seen before. Technically, it’s not a shark, but a species of the ray family. It’s also another of the unusual sea-dwelling species, and can best be described as the name it’s been given: the Atlantic guitarfish, or Rhinobatus lentiginosus.

I’d never seen this shark until this last research trip, and had to do some research to make sure that I had my facts in order. I had heard about it, mainly from friends who served as observers on commercial shrimp boats. It’s not a big, badass species like many of the others I’ve written about, but rather a small and mellow fish happy to bury itself in the mud or sand. To the best of my knowledge, it’s of little interest to fishermen, and I’ve never talked to anyone who’s paid it much attention.

The Atlantic guitarfish is a small species, with a maximum reported size of 30 inches, although they’re likely to be found in the smaller range. They’re a grayish to brown color with a lighter freckling above and a creamy pale white hue below. Indicative characteristics of this shark include a long, wide-pointed snout that is almost translucent, and darker colorations on the pectoral fins. Unlike many other rays, these critters do not have spines at the base of their tails. The guitarfish, like others in its family, features a located underneath its ray-like head, and the jaws and teeth are similar to that of a common stingray. Although technically a ray, this species tends to swim more like a shark. They commonly inhabit the waters around the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico to the outer banks of North Carolina to depths of 98 feet. They’ve also been known to inhabit brackish and freshwater estuaries for periods of time. The guitarfish seem to prefer small crabs, clams, and shellfish, including shrimp, as well as other bottom-dwelling creatures. Perfectly fitted to feeding in this manner, guitarfish have also been known to use their ray-like heads to hold prey on the bottom while feeding.

Although the guitarfish is classified as being unthreatening to humans, it may be due to the its small size and infrequent interactions with humans. Due to the small size of this species and the offshore nature of its habitat, it poses a relatively minute danger to humans and should not be feared during normal beach going activities.

This shark is considered as of no importance in commercial fisheries, but is often a bycatch in shrimp trawls throughout the Gulf of Mexico and is considered “not listed” by the IUCN, but reports from fishermen in major shrimping areas describe them being taken in large numbers.

Mahalo,
Bloody Bill

For more information visit:
www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish

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