Stingrays are related to sharks and like sharks, they prefer living in coastal tropical areas. As its name indicates, the stingray has venomous stingers, usually located on the tail, depending on the species. In order to camouflage themselves, stingrays hide by laying flat under the sand so as to blend in.

Dasyatis pastinaca smell their food since they cannot see their prey because their eyes are located on top of their flattened bodies, while their mouths are underneath. A stingray will feed while on the bottom, staying mainly camouflaged with only its eyes and tail in sight. Molluscs and crustaceans make up its main diet.

Female stingrays give birth to litters that can number from five to 13. Stingrays are not known to attack humans but may sting if an encounter can’t be avoided. Bites are usually not life-threatening but can be, depending on where the stinger pierces the body.

Text source: Wikipedia under Creative Commons licence.

Photo credit: NOAA Wikipedia public domain image.

© Copyright Vince Capone 2013