Distribution and Habitat
Widely distributed in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans, the bowmouth guitarfish is found from KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa northward to the Red Sea, including the Seychelles. From there, its range extends eastward through the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including the Maldives, to as far north as southern Japan and Korea, and as far east as Papua New Guinea and northern Australia, where it occurs from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Sydney in New South Wales.
The bowmouth guitarfish inhabits coastal waters over a depth range of 3–90 m (10–300 ft). It is typically encountered on or near the bottom, though on occasion it may be seen swimming well above it. This species favors sandy or muddy habitats, and can also be found in the vicinity of rocky and coral reefs and shipwrecks.
Read more about this topic: Bowmouth Guitarfish
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