Ray Dental Plate
Rhinoptera species
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A ribbed, hexagonal fossil plate from a ray's crushing tooth pack.
- Typical size
- Half an inch to 2 inches
- How often it turns up
- Uncommon
- Collecting
- Check local rules
- Handling
- Safe to handle
Ray teeth, like shark teeth, need no Florida fossil permit, but state parks, national seashores and wildlife refuges don't allow collecting, and private land needs permission.
No hazard.
How to tell it apart
- Flat surface with fine parallel ribbing
- Hexagonal or bar-shaped outline
- Dark, dense and heavy
Where to find these in Florida
Beaches rated very good or excellent for fossils. Each page shows today’s score, the best window and access details.
- Caspersen Beach · Venice
- Englewood Beach (Chadwick Park) · Englewood
- Stump Pass Beach State Park · Englewood
- Turner Beach · Captiva
- Turtle Beach · Siesta Key
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut ranks the likely matches with a confidence read, then logs it to your collection with the beach and date.
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Commonly confused with
Fossil Bone FragmentIndeterminate
Ray plates show fine parallel ribbing on a flat face. Bone fragments show a honeycomb pore structure.
Eagle Ray Dental PlateMyliobatis and Aetobatus species
Eagle ray plates often have small hexagonal side teeth; cownose plates are rows of long bars only.
More fossils in the field guide
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