The bowmouth guitarfish is found throughout east and southeast Asian waters, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. It is usually found in depths between 3.2 -65 feet (1 - 20 m) on sandy or muddy bottoms close to shore or near coral reefs.

This distinctive animal is grayish-brown in color with white spots on its dorsal (top) fins and black spots on its head and shoulders. The maximum size for a bowmouth guitarfish is 8 ¾ feet (270 cm) and the maximum published weight is 297.6 lbs. (135.0 kg).  Its jaws are heavily ridged, with crushing teeth in undulating or wave-like rows. It feeds mainly on bottom crustaceans and mollusks like shrimp, crabs and clams.

See the bowmouth guitarfish in Ocean Voyager at the Georgia Aquarium. 

• It has a broad rounded snout and a heavy ridge of spiky thorns present above the eye, along the back and on the shoulders that are used as a defensive function.
• The bowmouth guitarfish is often the bycatch of shrimp fishermen who consider it to be a nuisance because its spiky head can make it difficult to handle and can damage the commercial catch.
• It is also known as a shark-ray due to the large dorsal fins that create a shark-like appearance and broad base that looks like a ray.
• The bowmouth guitarfish is ovoviviparous, meaning it produces eggs that hatch in the female’s body.
• It is usually seen swimming alone.

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