Bentfin devil ray vs Peale’s Free-tailed Bat

Mobula thurstoni compared with Nyctinomops aurispinosus

Key Differences

• Bentfin devil ray is Endangered while Peale’s Free-tailed Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bentfin devil ray	Peale’s Free-tailed Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Myliobatidae	Molossidae
Genus	Mobula	Nyctinomops
Species	Mobula thurstoni	Nyctinomops aurispinosus

Evolutionary Relationship

Bentfin devil ray and Peale’s Free-tailed Bat share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Bentfin devil ray

EN — Endangered

Peale’s Free-tailed Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bentfin devil ray	Peale’s Free-tailed Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bentfin devil ray

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Chile and Taiwan. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Peale’s Free-tailed Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela.

Bentfin devil ray

The Bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni) is a species in the genus Mobula. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.