---
title: "Cownose Ray"
description: "Rhinoptera bonasus — Pesci. The cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) is a species found throughout a large part of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, from New England to southern Brazil (the East Atlantic ones are now generally considered a separate species, the Lusitanian cownose ray (R."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/cownose-ray
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Cownose Ray

> Rhinoptera bonasus — Pesci. The cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) is a species  found throughout a large part of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, from New England to southern Brazil (the East Atlantic ones are now generally considered a separate species, the Lusitanian cownose ray (R.

- Scientific name: *Rhinoptera bonasus*
- Category: `fish` (Pesci)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mare e costa)
- iNaturalist observations: 1482
- Wikidata: [Q10360338](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10360338)
- iNaturalist taxon: [82385](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/82385)

## Names

- en: Cownose Ray
- de: Atlantischer Kuhnasenrochen
- es: Raya gavilán cubanito
- fr: Mourine américaine

## Countries with the most observations

US (723), MX (15), BS (5), BR (4), BM (3)

## Summary

The cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) is a species  found throughout a large part of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, from New England to southern Brazil (the East Atlantic ones are now generally considered a separate species, the Lusitanian cownose ray (R. marginata)). These rays also belong to the order Myliobatiformes, a group that is shared by bat rays, manta rays, and eagle rays.
Cownose rays prefer to live in shallower, coastal waters or estuaries. Size, lifespan, and maturity differ between male and female rays. Rays have a distinct shape, with two lobes at the front of their head, resembling a cow nose.…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cownose_ray

## Photo

![Cownose Ray](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/cownose-ray/medium.jpg)

Photo: Samuel Paul Galick · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/221220484

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/cownose-ray?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).