Coachwhip ray vs Onca

Urogymnus granulatus compared with Panthera onca

Key Differences

• Coachwhip ray is Vulnerable while Onca is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coachwhip ray	Onca
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Dasyatidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Urogymnus	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Urogymnus granulatus	Panthera onca

Evolutionary Relationship

Coachwhip ray and Onca share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (cordados)

Conservation Status

Coachwhip ray

VU — Vulnerable

Onca

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~64.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coachwhip ray	Onca
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	1.9 m
Average Weight	—	100.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coachwhip ray

Onca

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. 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.

Onca

O maior felino das Américas, atingindo até 100 kg com corpo robusto e musculoso e pelagem com padrão de rosetas característico. Encontrado do México até a América do Sul, com populações mais expressivas na Amazônia e no Pantanal. Nadadores poderosos e predadores de topo, os jaguares desempenham papel fundamental na regulação das populações de presas. Classificado como Quase Ameaçado, com sua área de ocorrência diminuindo devido ao desmatamento.