Hawkray
Rhinoptera steindachneri
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassElasmobranchii
- OrderMyliobatiformes (Stingrays)
- FamilyMyliobatidae (Eagle Rays)
- GenusRhinoptera (Cownose Rays)
- SpeciesRhinoptera steindachneri (Hawkray)
The golden cownose ray or Pacific cownose ray (Rhinoptera steindachneri) is a species of ray. It is found in the East Pacific along the coast of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, estuarine waters, intertidal marshes, and coastal saline lagoons. They are often in schools, and sometimes associated with the spotted eagle ray. Like all members of eagle rays, they demonstrate ovoviviparity. Ovulation and birth occurred in May, June and July, with a low fecundity, large size at maturity and birth and a continuous and synchronous annual reproductive cycle. Wikipedia →
40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Hawkray sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 174 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Galápagos Islands
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Hawkray in Galápagos Islands?
About 45% of wildlife watchers report a Hawkray sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 174 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Hawkray in Galápagos Islands?
December has the highest sighting rate for Hawkray in Galápagos Islands in our monthly data.