Guitarfish

The guitarfish gets its name from its distinctive body outline, which resembles a guitar or violin thanks to a broad, flattened pectoral disc that tapers into a long, shark-like tail. It occupies an intermediate evolutionary position between true sharks and rays, sharing the flattened underside and ventral gill slits of rays while retaining a shark-like tail and dorsal fins. Common along sandy coastal seabeds of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, it is a bottom-dwelling predator that spends much of its time partially buried in sediment. Populations have declined in parts of its range due to trawl fishing pressure.

• Body outline: Guitar or violin-shaped, with a flattened, wedge-shaped front tapering smoothly into a shark-like rear half
• Snout: Long, pointed, and triangular, distinctly longer than in most true rays
• Fins: Two upright, shark-like dorsal fins set well back near the tail, plus a well-developed tail fin
• Color: Sandy brown to grey-brown above with a plain, unmarked appearance, pale cream below
• Eyes: Small, positioned on top of the head just behind the snout, each with a spiracle immediately behind it
• Look-alikes: Shovelnose rays and other guitarfish species look very similar; snout width, fin placement, and geographic range help separate closely related species

This species inhabits shallow coastal waters over sandy or muddy seabeds, typically from the shoreline down to around 100 meters, across the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. It frequently rests partially buried in sand in bays, lagoons, and open coastal flats, favoring areas with soft substrate that allow it to conceal itself from predators and ambush prey. It generally avoids rocky reef and hard-bottom habitats, preferring open sandy expanses. Some populations undertake seasonal inshore-offshore movements linked to water temperature and reproduction.

The guitarfish is a bottom-dwelling ambush predator that lies still, partially buried in sand, waiting for crustaceans, small fish, and mollusks to venture close before striking with a quick lunge. Its flattened body and coloration provide effective camouflage against sandy seabeds. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, with females giving birth to live young after an internal gestation period, typically in shallow nursery areas. Guitarfish are generally slow-moving and non-aggressive, relying on camouflage and burial rather than speed to avoid predators. Because they favor coastal shallows, they are frequently caught as bycatch in inshore trawl and net fisheries.