Spotted Eagle Ray: Graceful “Bird” of the Sea

After spending a few days making minor repairs to our seaside home on Roatan, Honduras, my spouse and I recently took our little boat to a nearby coral reef in the Caribbean Sea. Less than a mile offshore from our house, we moored at a dive site and slid into the refreshing turquoise water for a relaxing snorkeling.

After a couple of minutes, hubby Alan excitedly shouted to me, “Eagle ray!” Sure enough, perhaps 20 feet below, the graceful creature swam in a similar lazy manner that “our” bald eagle back home soars over our home lake in Texas. It seemed that the big “bird”fish was enjoying a snorkeling trip himself. With a “wingspan” of about 4 feet and a tail approximately 7 feet long, he seemed unimpressed with - or perhaps ignorant of - our presence above him. In addition to being calm about our presence in the water, he also seemed undisturbed by the cleaner fish that trailed beside him, nibbling parasites that grew on his body.

In addition to the graceful movements, this ray’s striking markings catch the eye: many solid circular and donut-shaped spots on his dorsal (top) side contrast dramatically with the almost-black background.

For many minutes we enjoyed this relaxed close encounter with this beautiful creature, who did indeed resemble an eagle more than he did a fish. From above, I noticed that his head was quite similar to that of a bird... only without a neck that separated it from the body.  As he dipped one “wing” while “soaring” through the water, his beautiful white underside contrasted dramatically against the spotted top.


It was at this point, I noticed what appeared to be a large growth on his jaw area. Had the big guy mistakenly snapped at a huge hook? Maybe this was a growth from some chemicals dumped into the sea? After several minutes, Eagle Ray dove to the bottom of the sea(perhaps 40 or 50 feet in depth) and released this huge “growth.”

Suddenly, the “helpful” cleaner fish abandoned their scrounging for parasites. Instead, they “dove in” to the mass - the eagle ray’s large, unfinished meal. After a moment (of letting his jaw rest??), Eagle Ray once again collected the remainder of his meal and swam leisurely closer to the surface.

Perhaps this description of the behaviors of underwater creatures’ reminds you of air-breathing, two-footed creatures? For example, it appears that humanoids are not the only creatures given to  over-committing - “biting off more than we can chew.”  Yes, it’s great to enjoy bountiful blessings. Does our behavior, however, reflect a belief in scarcity? (“Man, I better get all I can while I can! Never can tell when I won’t be able to get more!”) This scarcity mindset doesn’t necessarily manifest as gluttony; it can show up as withholding good from others ... whether we are stingy with our time, our love, or our resources. If we are afraid of being generous because we “may not have enough,” we might consider whether we have a self-limiting scarcity mindset.

Another behavior similar to that of some of us humanoids is that of appearing to “just want to help.” Who do you know/ recognize in the mirror that offers help (“Hey! I’ll be happy to remove those parasites that you can’t reach! Nothing too good for a friend like you!”) then dives in to ‘collect’ when a bigger payoff shows itself? (“You remember when I paid your toll twice the last year? Well, I how ‘bout you donate 100 bucks to me for that new fishin’ rod you know I’ve been admiring?”) Maybe that’s a dramatic contrast.... However, most likely your “sixth sense” (or even that rusty tool some folks call a “conscience”) nags at you when service is offered a little too enthusiastically... and turns into leverage for psychological pay-back. Unlike the “cleaner fish,” we DO have a “still small voice” that shares information with us from a deeper part of ourselves. If we are feeling manipulated - or manipulating, often there is a clear reason for that notice.

No, you do not need to be so philosophical to enjoy Nature’s wonders. I am simply given to drawing parallels and metaphors to human life. If you haven’t enjoyed close contact with non-human creation in a while, step outside your cubicle, your concrete walls, your self... and see what Nature says to you.

As for me, I almost wish I had some human “cleaner fish” around me now. Maybe one of them could tell me where I’ve left my snorkeling gear!