Stingrays are dangerous creatures which are related to the shark and have a skeleton which
is made of a cartilaginous material, lighter than bone, allowing them to maintain buoyancy.
Their unique coloring, evident in the above graphic, makes it easier to identify and to avoid
this stingray species. There is another species, the Urolophus cruciatus, (banded stingaree)
found in waters off the continent of Australia....which does not have blue dots but more closely
resembles the manta ray in coloring. These rays are also dangerous.

Stingrays prefer warmer coastal waters with depths of 350 feet or less and spend a lot of time
searching for food in shallow waters along sandy beaches. Some ray species do well in fresh
water, some in saline and others can survive in both.

The graphic below shows a Urolophus cruciatus cruising along the oceans bottom....searching
for food.

Picture of a stingray cruising along the bottom of the ocean.

The reason stingrays are dangerous is because of the rather large poisonous spine located on
their tail. This spine is hard and very sharp and is used to pierce the hard outer covering of
shellfish which makes up a large portion of the stingray's diet. This sharp spine can grow to
over 12 inches long in some species and because of these dangerous spines and the poison
it injects, stingrays are often avoided by all but the hungriest fishermen. Several swimmers
have been killed after being struck by the poisonous spines and neglecting to get immediate
medical attention.

If wounded by a stingray, get out of the water immediately. Remove any part of the spine that
may remain in the wound and apply hot water to the affected area as soon as possible. The
temperature should be around 95-105 degrees Fahrenheit, which will be hot enough to detoxify
the poison but not to cause burns. The wound should be treated with hot water for 1 to 1 1/2
hours. The wound should then be irrigated with an anesthetic such as lidocaine (lignocaine) or
longer lasting bupivacaine. This will help deal with the pain until the wound starts to heal. It is a
good idea to check the wound for fragments of spine which may still remain..remove all fragments,
apply an antibiotic cream, and bandage the wound.

Another picture of a bottom swimming stingray.

Stingrays often weigh 650-750 lbs and are 14-16 ft. in length, including the tail. They mate
from March to late September or early October and lay 2-8 eggs with the normal amount
being 2-5. The gestation period is from April to late August. The lifespan of the stingray
is not known but they have lived in captivity for over 20 years. Stingrays eat crustaceans (crabs,
small mollusks), small fish and floating algae.

Color picture of a stingray.

Stingrays have a keen sense of smell and good eyesight and are able to locate food items
very readily. Notice the long tail of the ray in the above graphic. As stated earlier, this
tail with its sharp spine is used for killing hard shelled crustaceans, but it also is often used
for protection and to steer the stingray...aiding the large fins in propelling the ray through
the water.

One interesting trait of the stingray is to settle to the bottom of the ocean, flapping its large fins
around in the soft seabed. This causes sand to swirl around and cover the ray with a layer of
dirt camouflage. The ray then lays motionless until fish or other prey swims close by. The ray
then swiftly lunges forward, grabbing his meal and crushing its prey with flattened teeth and
powerful jaws. Shell fragments and other non digestible items are spat out.

Picture of a non-spotted stingray species.

Although stingrays are not on the endangered list and more than likely won't appear there
anytime soon... like any ocean creature who prefers shallow coastal waters, their numbers
are adversely affected by pollution.

In the graphic below, shaded in blue, is the range of the various species of stingray.

Area of the world where stingrays are found.

Be sure to check back next month for July's "Creature of the Month"