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Photograph of the Common Guitarfish

Common Guitarfish

Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus, 1758)

Critically Endangered
© Andy Murch
Maximum length
1.8 m

Meet the Common Guitarfish

The Common Guitarfish is a species of ray with a body shape resembling a cross between a shark and a ray, featuring a flattened head, slender body, and a long, tapering tail. It inhabits coastal waters and is known for its distinctive ‘guitar-like’ appearance.

What they eat
Crustaceans and small fishes.

How big do they get?

Common Guitarfish · 1.8 m
Human diver · 1.8 m
The Common Guitarfish grows to around 1.8 m at most: the bars compare its maximum recorded length with a diver.

Where they live

Map of the known distribution of the Common Guitarfish
Known distribution

Distribution

Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

Habitat

Lives on the sea floor on sandy, muddy, shelly areas up to 180 m deep.

In the wild

  • A diver photographing sharks in open water
    Recorded on a Shark Trust survey dive
  • An angel shark resting on the seabed
    Resting on a sandy seabed
  • A clownose ray swimming over the seabed
    Cruising close to the sea floor
  • A group of rays gliding through shallow water
    In the shallows at dusk
  • A Port Jackson shark on a reef
    Sheltering on the reef

Go deeper

Conservation status

Critically Endangered Global Endangered Europe Endangered Mediterranean

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