Sharks and Rays of Sri Lanka: Every Species Recorded

Blacktip Reef Shark Common Vulnerable

Carcharhinus melanopterus

A slim, active shark with jet black fin tips on a bronze body, it patrols reef edges, lagoons and shallow flats. Timid toward people, it rarely exceeds a metre and a half.

Where: Shallow reef flats and coral heads at Bar Reef and around Pigeon Island. Best: May to September on the east coast. Pigeon Island's shallow inner reef is the single most reliable place in Sri Lanka to see a shark, in snorkelling depth. Also on: Trincomalee and Pigeon Island, Kalpitiya, Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna, The Great and Little Basses Reefs.

Bluespotted Maskray Regular

Neotrygon kuhlii

Bluespotted maskrays are small, angular rays of sand and rubble, marked with a dark bar across the eyes like a mask and scattered blue spots. Unlike the ribbontail ray they rarely shelter under coral, preferring open sand.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Half buried in sand with only the eyes showing. Shuffle your feet in the shallows.

Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray Regular

Taeniura lymma

A rounded stingray with vivid blue spots and blue side stripes on the tail, which carries venomous spines. It shelters under coral by day and fans the sand for worms and shrimp as the tide rises.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Half buried in sand with only the eyes showing. Shuffle your feet in the shallows. Also on: Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna.

Cowtail Stingray Occasional Vulnerable

Pastinachus sephen

Cowtail stingrays favour shallow silty bays, estuaries and mangrove margins, tolerating brackish and even fresh water. The deep skin fold on the underside of the tail is diagnostic and unlike any other ray in the region.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Grey Reef Shark Occasional Endangered

Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos

A robust grey shark with a broad black margin along the tail fin, it favours reef channels and outer walls washed by current. Curious and confident, it will approach divers before wheeling away.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Also on: The Great and Little Basses Reefs.

Jenkins Whipray Occasional Vulnerable

Pateobatis jenkinsii

Jenkins whiprays rest half-buried on sand beside reef, lifting off in a cloud of silt when disturbed. A row of heavy denticles runs along the midline of the disc, and the whip-like tail carries a venomous spine near its base.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Ocellated Eagle Ray Occasional Endangered

Aetobatus ocellatus

Dark above and scattered with pale rings and spots, this eagle ray has broad pointed wings and a long tail bearing venomous spines. It uses a duck like snout to dig molluscs from the sand.

Where: Reef edges and drop-offs, including the Trincomalee canyon rim. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Pink Whipray Occasional Vulnerable

Pateobatis fai

Pink whiprays are broad, pinkish-grey rays of sand flats and lagoons, sometimes seen in aggregations of a dozen or more. The tail is extremely long and thin, carrying a venomous spine near the base.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Porcupine Ray Occasional Vulnerable

Urogymnus asperrimus

Porcupine rays are covered in coarse, close-set denticles and large thorns, and have lost the venomous spine entirely. They root through seagrass and sand for molluscs and crustaceans, often in very shallow water.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Tawny Nurse Shark Occasional Vulnerable

Nebrius ferrugineus

Heavy and cinnamon brown with small eyes and a pair of sensory barbels, this sluggish shark rests by day and forages at night. It sucks octopus, crustaceans and fish from reef holes with surprising force.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Whitespotted Bamboo Shark Occasional Endangered

Chiloscyllium plagiosum

Whitespotted bamboo sharks spend the day wedged into crevices and emerge at night to hunt invertebrates on the reef floor. They tolerate very low oxygen by shutting down non-essential brain function, an adaptation for stranded tide pools.

Where: Reef and rubble after dark, on a night dive. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Whitetip Reef Shark Occasional Vulnerable

Triaenodon obesus

Grey and pencil thin with white-tipped dorsal and tail fins, this shark spends daylight piled up under ledges. After dark it squeezes into crevices to flush out sleeping fish.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Also on: The Great and Little Basses Reefs.

Brownbanded Bamboo Shark Rare Near Threatened

Chiloscyllium punctatum

Long and eel like with a rounded snout, juveniles are boldly banded while adults fade to plain brown. It hunts invertebrates in shallow reefs and tide pools, tolerating low oxygen with ease.

Where: Reef and rubble after dark, on a night dive. Best: May to September on the east coast.

Giant Manta Ray Rare Endangered

Mobula birostris

Immense and diamond winged, black above and white below with a unique belly pattern, the giant manta filters plankton through gill plates as it swims. Far larger and more oceanic than the reef manta, it roams open water and visits cleaning stations.

Where: Reef edges and drop-offs, including the Trincomalee canyon rim. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Reef Manta Ray Rare Vulnerable

Mobula alfredi

Reef mantas cruise cleaning stations and current swept pinnacles, banking in graceful barrel rolls to feed on plankton. Curious and harmless, they are a diving highlight.

Where: Reef edges and drop-offs, including the Trincomalee canyon rim. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Also on: Trincomalee and Pigeon Island, The Great and Little Basses Reefs.

Shortfin Devil Ray Rare Endangered

Mobula kuhlii

Shortfin devil rays are small mobulids that feed on plankton and small fish, filtering water through modified gill plates. They are known for breaching repeatedly, hitting the surface with a crack audible from a long way off.

Where: Blue water beyond the continental shelf edge. Best: November to April on the west and south coasts.

Whale Shark Rare Endangered

Rhincodon typus

Reaching well over ten metres, the whale shark is a harmless plankton feeder that cruises warm seas. Encounters are unpredictable but unforgettable.

Where: Blue water beyond the continental shelf edge. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Records cluster off the east and around the Great Basses. Also on: Trincomalee and Pigeon Island, Mirissa, The Great and Little Basses Reefs.

Zebra Shark (Leopard Shark) Rare Endangered

Stegostoma tigrinum

Long and supple with prominent ridges along the body and a tail nearly as long again, adults are cream coloured with dark leopard spots. Utterly harmless, it rests on sandy patches between reefs.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Endangered. Resting on sand by day, which is when they are seen.

Bowmouth Guitarfish Very rare Critically Endangered

Rhina ancylostomus

Bowmouth guitarfish have the flattened head and pectoral fins of a ray on a heavy shark-like body and tail. Bony thorn ridges run above the eyes and along the back, and the mouth is a distinctive undulating bow used to crush shellfish.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Critically Endangered. Sri Lanka's wedgefish is Rhynchobatus djiddensis, the Indian Ocean species.

Bull Shark Very rare Vulnerable

Carcharhinus leucas

Stocky and grey with a short blunt snout, the bull shark thrives in murky coastal shallows, estuaries and even rivers. It is bold, opportunistic and one of the few sharks considered genuinely dangerous.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Giant Guitarfish Very rare Critically Endangered

Glaucostegus typus

A large ray relative with a pointed, wedge shaped head grading into a muscular shark like body and tail. It cruises sandy coastal shallows, crushing crabs and shellfish with flat plated jaws.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Critically Endangered. Sri Lanka's wedgefish is Rhynchobatus djiddensis, the Indian Ocean species.

Great Hammerhead Very rare Critically Endangered

Sphyrna mokarran

Great hammerheads are the largest hammerhead at nearly six metres, with a distinctive very tall, sickle-shaped first dorsal fin. They specialise in rays, using the cephalofoil as a hammer to stun and hold prey against the bottom.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: May to September on the east coast. Both are Critically Endangered and Sri Lankan waters have been fished hard for them.

Pelagic Thresher Very rare Endangered

Alopias pelagicus

The upper lobe of a thresher's tail is as long as the rest of its body and is used as a weapon, snapped forward at speeds that generate a cavitation shockwave. Threshers visit shallow cleaning stations at dawn, which is the only time divers reliably see them.

Where: Blue water beyond the continental shelf edge. Best: May to September on the east coast.

Scalloped Hammerhead Very rare Critically Endangered

Sphyrna lewini

Scalloped hammerheads school by day at offshore seamounts, sometimes in hundreds, and hunt alone at night. The broad cephalofoil spreads their electrical sensors across a wider sweep, giving them an unusually precise sense of buried prey.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: May to September on the east coast. Both are Critically Endangered and Sri Lankan waters have been fished hard for them.

Sicklefin Lemon Shark Very rare Endangered

Negaprion acutidens

Sicklefin lemon sharks are slow-moving and thickset, hunting fish and rays in very shallow water over sand and around mangrove edges. Females return to the same nursery lagoons to pup, so a local population wiped out rarely recovers.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Silvertip Shark Very rare Vulnerable

Carcharhinus albimarginatus

Silvertips patrol the drop-offs of offshore pinnacles and islands, and are unusually confident around divers. They displace grey reef sharks from feeding opportunities and carry the scars of intraspecific fighting.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Spottail Shark Very rare Near Threatened

Carcharhinus sorrah

Spottail sharks work the sandy margins and shallow reef edges of both Thai coasts, hunting small fish and cephalopods. Black tips on the lower tail lobe, second dorsal and pectorals separate them from the blacktip reef shark.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Tiger Shark Very rare Near Threatened

Galeocerdo cuvier

Tiger sharks grow past five metres and eat almost anything, from turtles and sea snakes to seabirds and carrion. The serrated, cockscomb-shaped teeth are unique among sharks and can cut through a turtle carapace.

Where: Deeper reef, wrecks and the Great and Little Basses reefs. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east.

Whitespotted Wedgefish Very rare Critically Endangered

Rhynchobatus australiae

Whitespotted wedgefish are shark-shaped rays with a wedge-like snout, rows of white spots along the back and a pair of dark eye spots on the shoulders. They lie on sand near reef and feed on crabs, molluscs and small fish.

Where: Sand and rubble patches between coral heads. Best: November to April on the west and south, May to September on the east. Critically Endangered. Sri Lanka's wedgefish is Rhynchobatus djiddensis, the Indian Ocean species.

Largetooth Sawfish Ultra rare Critically Endangered

Pristis pristis

Sawfish use the toothed rostrum to detect and slash through schools of fish, and to rake prey from the mud. Largetooth sawfish move freely between the sea, estuaries and far up large rivers.

Where: Lagoons, estuaries and mangrove creeks at Puttalam, Negombo and Kalametiya. Best: Year round. Almost certainly gone from Sri Lankan waters. Recorded here historically and listed so that the loss is on the page rather than quietly omitted.