Are Cownose Rays Tertiary or Secondary Consumers? If you look at the diagram I made to the right, you'll notice that there are only secondary consumers followed by an apex predator. That is because although Cownose Ray's eat Primary Consumers, the only predator in the area is the Hammerhead Shark. Cownose Rays have few predators, those including the Hammerhead Shark*, Cobia*, and humans. Because of this, they sit relatively high on the food chain. How high they sit, however, is not currently defined.

Cownose Rays are considered opportunistic niche generalists. This is because they are able to consume a large variety of shellfish species, making it easy for Cownose Rays to adapt their diet to their environments.