Scaly whipray

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Scaly whipray
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Rajiformes
Family: Dasyatidae
Genus: Himantura
Species: H. imbricata
Binomial name
Himantura imbricata
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

The scaly whipray, Himantura imbricata, is a skate of the family Dasyatidae, found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific oceans from the Red Sea and Mauritius to Indonesia. Its width is up to 25 cm, and it may reach 1.4 m in length.

The scaly whipray is found in inshore coastal waters, typically in estuarine habitats. Its disc width is equal to its disc length, and the tail is shorter than the body. The ventral surface of the disc is entirely white. Young and adults feed on benthic invertebrates, and juveniles may be present in mangroves.

They migrate between saltwater and freshwater, though not for the purpose of breeding. They do not migrate more than 100 km.

Reproduction is ovoviviparous.

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