Southern stingray

The southern stingray is a wide, flat fish shaped like a diamond, and it is a cousin of the sharks. It glides over the sandy seabed of warm, shallow seas by rippling the edges of its body like a pair of gentle wings. Its top side is a soft brown or grey that matches the sand below, while its belly is creamy white. Females grow quite a bit bigger than the males.

This ray lives in the western Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of North America down past the Caribbean all the way to Brazil. It likes calm, shallow bays with meadows of sea grass, where it can find plenty to eat. Much of the day it lies still on the bottom, sometimes flicking sand over its back until only its eyes peek out. Resting this way helps it stay hidden and safe.

A stingray’s eyes sit on top of its head, but its mouth is tucked underneath. Because it cannot see its own food, it feels and sniffs along the seabed for hidden clams, worms, shrimp, and crabs. Special sensors on its face can even detect the tiny wiggles of animals buried in the sand. When it finds a meal, it crunches the shells with flat, strong teeth.

You may have heard that stingrays have a spine on their tail. It is true, but a southern stingray is a calm, gentle animal that would never chase anyone. It only uses the spine to protect itself if something big steps right on top of it by surprise. If you ever wade in shallow water where they live, you can shuffle your feet, and the ray will simply feel you coming and glide quietly away.

Mother stingrays give birth to little pups that already look like tiny copies of their parents. In some places, such as the Cayman Islands, southern stingrays have grown so used to friendly visitors that they swim right up to be fed by hand. Their conservation status is Near Threatened, which means people are keeping a careful eye on them and working to protect the sandy shallows they call home.