Description

A large fish reaching up to 3.1m long and weighing as much as 227 kg. The colour underneath is white and overall dark greyish or olive above. Large individuals lack the distinct white spots of the closely related white-spotted guitarfish (though some white-spotted guitarfish are essentially unspotted too). It is ovoviviparous, and a female can give birth to litters of up to 10 young

Fun Facts

Habitat It is a shy fish, found from 2m to 50m depth, inhabiting areas with sandy sea floor. These are generally around coastal reefs or reef flats, but they will sometimes venture into the brackish waters of estuaries. Interaction with man The giant guitarfish is harmless to humans. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list as its population are believed to have declined significantly due to unregulated high levels of exploitation for its flesh and fins; the latter for shark fin soup. Its low fecundity and presumed slow growth rate make it highly vulnerable to unsustainable exploitation.