Species Type:
Sharks & Rays
Common Name(s):
Southern stingray
Size:
Females are usually larger than males, and can grow up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide and over 200 pounds (91 kilograms)! Male southern stingrays can grow up to 2.5 feet (0.8 meters) wide.
Diet:
As opportunistic feeders, southern stingrays eat a large variety of prey. Their diet largely consists of bivalves, worms, shrimp, crabs and small fish.
Range & Habitat:
The southern stingray can be found on sandy seafloors near seagrasses and coral reefs throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the southern Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
Details:
Southern stingrays have diamond-shaped bodies, wide, flat frames, and long, whip-like tails with venomous barbs for defense. They glide across the seafloor using their pectoral fins and bury themselves in sand to hide from predators. At “cleaning stations,” bluehead wrasses and Spanish hogfish eat parasites and clean mucus from their bodies.