Porcupine ray: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the porcupine ray lives – recorded in 6 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Urogymnus asperrimus
Group	Rays, skates & chimaeras
Status	Endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	6 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Oceania
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Myliobatiformes
Family	Dasyatidae

Where does the porcupine ray live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the porcupine ray in 6 countries and territories across Africa, Asia and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: South China Sea, New Guinea.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the porcupine ray endangered?

The porcupine ray’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the porcupine ray?

The porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Myliobatiformes and the family Dasyatidae, genus Urogymnus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the porcupine ray

The porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus) is a rare species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae. This bottom-dweller is found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, as well as off West Africa. It favors sand, coral rubble, and seagrass habitats in inshore waters to a depth of 30 m (100 ft). A large and heavy-bodied species reaching 1.2–1.5 m (3.9–4.9 ft) in width, the porcupine ray has a nearly circular, plain-colored pectoral fin disc and a thin tail without any fin folds. Uniquely within its family, it lacks a venomous stinging spine. However, an adult ray can still defend itself ably with the many large, sharp thorns found over its disc and tail.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Porcupine ray (revision 1354937301), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1657133 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).