Eddie the Eagleray
About me
I am the most common species of eagle ray that you will see in Sydney and they call me the Southern Eagle Ray. My cousins, the White Spotted Eagle Ray, Cownose Ray and the Blue Spotted Eagle Ray also come and play in Sydney too from time to time.
Like all rays, we eat a range of things that are often hiding in the sand, like worms for example. Whilst I am quite shy, my cousins often swim in large groups together which I hear looks really pretty from drone footage.
Why the shark nets are dangerous for us
Unfortunately, like many other rays, we do get caught in the nets every year. Mostly we survive, but there are always deaths amongst my family every year because we can get really tangled up in those nets. Just like with other animals it is really stressful experience to be trapped in the nets waiting for help for days at a time.
35 Rays died in the 2020/2021 period
"There were 298 interations with other non-target species including:
137 rays (35 dead, 102 released alive)"