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Between July 2025 and February 2026, researchers documented the first confirmed sightings of the porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus) in American Samoa. A single female was observed in a shallow, sandy reef on the southern coast of Tutuila. These observations represent a significant extension of the species’ known range, occurring nearly 800 km from its previously documented boundary in Fiji. Photograph by Sarah Head/NOAA.
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Head et al. (2026) studied this question.
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