NSU Oceanographic Center Student Research Garners Journal Cover

A team of scientists from the Oceanographic Center’s National Coral Reef Institute, Save Our Seas Shark Research Center and the Guy Harvey Research Institute recently proved that the spotted eagle ray, previously believed to be single species, actually consists of several different species. This study formed part of the doctoral research of Oceanographic Center graduate student, Vincent Richards, and has received international media coverage, including stories in the London Telegraph, Animal Planet, and Miami Herald.

Rays, which are closely related to sharks, are threatened worldwide by overfishing. According to Mahmood Shivji, Ph.D, who led the research team, the discovery means that one or more of the new species may be endangered or at greater risk than previously believed due to smaller population sizes. More extensive sampling worldwide is likely to reveal additional “hidden” species in the ray.