Fiddler ray snouts are translucent. The fiddler rays are also distinguished from other guitarfishes in that the anterior nasal flaps of their nostrils are expanded backwards and fused together into a nasal curtain that reaches the mouth. Fiddler rays feed on bottoms shellfish, crabs, and worms, which they crush between their jaws. The eastern fiddler ray is known to scavenge from fish traps. Like other guitarfishes, fiddler rays are ovoviviparous. The egg capsules of the southern fiddler ray are reported to be golden in colour, containing three embryos each. It gives birth to litters of four to six young per breeding cycle.
Invasive species which were brought to control insects upon the introduced grain crops, have displaced native birds as have rainbow lorikeets and cockatoos (both from Australia) which fly free around areas west of Auckland City such as the Waitakere Ranges. In much of New Zealand, the Australian black swan has effectively eliminated the existence of the previously introduced mute swan. Two notable varieties of spiders have also been introduced: the white tail spider and the redback spider. Both may have arrived inside shipments of fruit. Until then, the only spider (and the only venomous animal) dangerous to humans was the native katipo,