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Spatial Distribution and Long-term Movement Patterns of Cownose Rays Rhinoptera bonasus Within an Estuarine River

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Abstract

Passive acoustic telemetry was used to monitor the movements of cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) within the Caloosahatchee River estuary in Southwest Florida. Twelve rays were tracked within the river between January 2004 and May 2005 for periods up to 234 days. Linear home range was calculated for all individuals and ranged between 0 and 18.4 km (daily) and 1 and 22.3 km (overall). Ray position within the river was compared to changing water quality parameters throughout the study. Although home range size did not increase with increasing salinity, individuals did occur farther upriver with decreasing flow rates and increasing salinity. There were no differences detected between day and night distribution patterns. Movement and presence patterns demonstrated significant use of the estuarine river over all months, indicating that cownose rays in southwest Florida may not undertake long seasonal migrations as established for other parts of their range.

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Acknowledgements

B. Yeiser provided invaluable assistance with animal collection, data collection, equipment maintenance, and support. P. Motta provided advice and guidance. We would also like to thank T. Tucker, A. Summers, T. Wiley, M. Blagg, and R. Hueter for their field and/or laboratory support. Numerous volunteer student interns provided assistance during this project. This research was funded in part by the Mote Scientific Foundation, the National Shark Research Consortium (NOAA Fisheries), and the University of South Florida. P. Doering and K. Haunert from the South Florida Water Management District provided information on the Caloosahatchee River system and access to water quality data. A. Collins was the recipient of the Mote Marine Laboratory and University of South Florida Graduate Fellowship in Elasmobranch Biology during the course of this work. Two anonymous reviewers provided comments that improved this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 8th Avenue SE, Saint Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Angela B. Collins

  2. Mote Marine Laboratory, Center for Shark Research, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL, 34213, USA

    Angela B. Collins, Michelle R. Heupel & Colin A. Simpfendorfer

  3. Department of Biology, University of South Florida, 4200 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Angela B. Collins

  4. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia

    Michelle R. Heupel

  5. Fishing and Fisheries Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia

    Colin A. Simpfendorfer

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  1. Angela B. Collins
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Correspondence to Angela B. Collins.

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Collins, A.B., Heupel, M.R. & Simpfendorfer, C.A. Spatial Distribution and Long-term Movement Patterns of Cownose Rays Rhinoptera bonasus Within an Estuarine River. Estuaries and Coasts 31, 1174–1183 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9100-5

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