Coachwhip ray vs Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Urogymnus granulatus compared with Andigena hypoglauca

Key Differences

• Coachwhip ray is Vulnerable while Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coachwhip ray	Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Aves (Birds)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Piciformes (Piciformes)
Family	Dasyatidae	Ramphastidae
Genus	Urogymnus	Andigena
Species	Urogymnus granulatus	Andigena hypoglauca

Evolutionary Relationship

Coachwhip ray and Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Coachwhip ray

VU — Vulnerable

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coachwhip ray	Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coachwhip ray

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Coachwhip ray

The coachwhip ray, Urogymnus granulatus, is a large elasmobranch in the family Urogymidae found across the Indo-Pacific region, ranging from the Red Sea and East Africa through South and Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the western Pacific islands. It inhabits shallow coastal waters including coral reef flats, sandy lagoons, seagrass beds, and estuarine habitats, where it forages for benthic invertebrates and small fishes buried in the substrate. The coachwhip ray is characterized by an oval disc and a long, whip-like tail with one or more venomous spines at its base, giving the species its common name. The disc reaches up to 1.4 meters in width, making it one of the larger members of its family. Urogymnus granulatus is ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young after internal development, and has low reproductive rates that make populations slow to recover from exploitation. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to significant declines caused by intensive coastal fisheries across its range, particularly in South and Southeast Asia where it is commonly caught as bycatch or targeted for its valuable meat, skin, and gill plates in local markets. Habitat degradation from coastal development and coral reef decline compounds the threat to wild populations.

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan (Andigena hypoglauca) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.