WHATSTHATFISH
Sharks & rays

Southern Stingray

Hypanus americanus

Also known as: Atlantic Stingray, Kit, Southern Ray, Stingaree, Whipray, Whiptail Stingray

NTNear ThreatenedIUCN Red List, 2020
Handle with careLook, don't touch
Adult
@eksmp · Caye Caulker, Belize · April 20141 / 11
01

Overview

Found singly, pairs or in shivers, during the day either half buried or resting on shallow sandy bottoms or in seagrass beds, foraging for food at night over bays, estuaries and lagoons.
They feed nocturnally on bivalves, crabs, fish, shrimps and worms.

Rays are bottom feeders, they settle themselves down over their prey, trapping them against the substrate with their disc, then flexing their disc flaps and manoeuvring the victims into their mouths.
Most rays live in the sea, but some can be found in estuaries, often hard to see as they can be buried in the sand, occasionally they can be seen leaping out of the water.
As a form of defence rays have electric organs while others have venomous spines.
Usually rays will swim out of harms way if approached, however they can give a nasty sting which could prove fatal.
Never swim over the top of large rays, they think you are a predator and are likely to whip their tails in defense! (as happened to Steve Irwin)

02

How to identify

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

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Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Western Atlantic, Caribbean
  • Country only · 11
LIVES IN

Found singly, pairs or in shivers, during the day either half buried or resting on shallow sandy bottoms or in seagrass beds, foraging for food at night over bays, estuaries and lagoons.

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Adult photos 11

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Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumChordata
    3. classElasmobranchii
    4. orderMyliobatiformes
    5. familyDasyatidae
    6. genusHypanus
    7. speciesHypanus americanus (Hildebrand & Schroeder, 1928)

    SourcesWoRMSFishBase

    06

    More in the family

    Stingrays (Dasyatidae)