Healing response in a pacific eagle ray (Aetobatus laticeps) after a vessel strike in Banderas Bay, Mexico

The pacific eagle ray, Aetobatus laticeps, is found in coastal waters of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, where its populations can be vulnerable to vessel strikes. We present photographic evidence of rapid healing of multiple lacerations sustained by an individual A. laticeps as a result of a vessel propeller impact. The observations were carried out in Banderas Bay, Mexico, where we identified the same individual over a period of 5 years (2018-2023). The evidence presented here serves as a benchmark for future health studies in coastal elasmobranchs with near-surface behaviours.