Wedgefishes and guitarfishes are among the ocean’s most misunderstood and overlooked animals. They are ancient, gentle, shark-like rays that glide quietly through the shallow coastal waters. Although their bodies resemble sharks, they are not sharks but rays, with bodies made of a cartilaginous skeleton belonging to the order Rhinopristiformes.

Wedgefishes and guitarfishes inhabit inshore waters on the continental shelf, particularly in enclosed bays, estuaries, and coral reefs, and are primarily found in warm-temperate to tropical inshore continental seas. With their flattened heads, long, tapered tails, and calm, deliberate movements, they are peaceful animals that live close to the sea floor, gently moving through the water.

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