Stingray Facts

Regions of coastal tropical and subtropical marine waters are where the stingray population thrives. However, it is not
limited only to these regions, as there are some species which are also found in warmer temperate oceans. More stingray
facts coming up in the following.

The stingray has been named after the barbed stinger on its tail. This stinger is primarily used in self-defense, and can reach
a length of approximately 35 cm. There are two furrows or channels with venom glands on the underside of the stinger.
Most species of this creature may be equipped with one or more these stingers, while, there are also some which completely
lack them.

Facts About Stingrays

# Commonly, the fish can be found inhabiting shallow, near-shore waters in warm parts of the world. And when the weather
begins to cool down, the fish would dive further into the depths of the ocean. That is why, they are usually found roaming
along the seabed or buried in the loose sediment. A major part of the creature's life is spent in being partially buried in the
sand. This they do to camouflage themselves from predators, and for hunting preys by ambush.

# The stinger of the fish is razor-sharp, barbed, agile and amazingly flexible. While hunting, the stingray puts down its prey
by piercing the stinger through it before it can escape. This fact makes me recall the incident which caused the demise of
Steve Irwin, popularly known as "The Crocodile Hunter'. That tragic day, Irwin was filming a new documentary called
Ocean's Deadliest. During the shoot, while snorkeling, he accidentally came over the top of a stingray. In defense the fish
threw up its tail causing the stinger to pierce through the left front of his chest. It was stated that Irwin passed away
instantly. It is said that his removing the stinger from his chest, might have caused him to succumb to the injury thus, dying
on the spot. This whole incident was regarded as an accident because stingrays are known to bear a docile and placid
nature; their usual response to any danger is to flee. To add to this, most people say that these fish would swim close to
divers and snorkelers without fear.

# The creature has its eyes on top of its body, and mouth is on the underside. Due to this physical feature, the fish cannot
see its prey. However, the fish counters this disadvantage by using its smelling abilities and electrical sensors to detect the
same. The same feature is also shared by sharks.

# The stingray diet consists of a wide variety of other sea creatures such as crabs, molluscs, clams, oysters, snails, and
some species of fish. It is completely carnivorous and only feeds on other animals. For feeding, some species of this fish are
equipped with two powerful, shell-crushing plates in their mouths. While, some only have sucking mouth-parts.

# Speaking of the fish's nemesis, there aren't many creatures who like to pick up a fight with this stinger. Thanks to its
large size! Also, the stingray's predator usually have a difficult time in tracking it, as it impeccably hides itself under the
sand of the seabed. Sharks, seals, sea lions and large species of carnivorous fish are known to be the potential, natural
predators of this creature.

# A female can give birth to 2 - 6 'pups' at a time, and the birth generally takes place once a year. The juveniles survive
inside the womb without a placenta and absorb nutrients from a yolk sac. And when this food source runs out, they are fed
with milk in the uterus of the mother. While the juvenile is still inside the mother, it attains a size enough to make it look
like a small-sized adult at birth. Stingray pups are able to fend for themselves right from the time they are born.

To conclude, the stingray is known to be too placid to attack humans out of aggressiveness. As it was in the case of late
Steve Irwin, in most cases too, the sting usually occurs only when a ray is accidentally stepped on. The sting can cause pain,
swelling, and muscle cramps from the venom. There are also chances of possible bacterial infection. The injury from a
stingray is painful but seldom fatal, unless it has occurred in a vital area of the body.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/stingray-facts.html




The stingray is a flat marine fish found in warmer waters around the globe. The stingray
is belongs to the same group of fish as other ray and are also believed to be closely
related to sharks.
The stingray inhabits the warmer tropical waters around the world generally in the
slightly deeper waters rather than the shallows. When the weather begins to cool, the
stingray will retreat further into the depths of the ocean.
The stingray is most well known for the stinger that is present on the end of tail of the
stingray. The stingray uses the stinger on the end of it's long tail pierce through and stop
it's prey before it can escape.
The stingray's stinger is razor-sharp, barbed or serrated and attached to the stingray's
thin tail. This means the stingray can whip it's stinger to pretty much anywhere,
extremely quickly as the long, thin tail of the stingray is extremely agile and very flexible.
The size of a sting really is dependent on what species of stingray it is. Some species of
stingray in the deep ocean get up to 14ft long including the tail and these species of
stingray naturally have a larger stinger. The smaller stingray species tend to have small
stingers, so that the stinger is relevant to the size of the body of the stingray.
The stingray is a carnivorous animal, meaning that the stingray only feeds on
other animalsand does not eat plants. The stingray preys on a wide variety of species in
the sea including crabs, molluscs, clams, oysters, snails and some species of fish.
The stingray has few natural predators in it's natural environment mainly due to the large
size of the stingray. Stingrays are also able to use their flattened body shape to their
advantage by resting on the sea floor and therefore able to hide from predators as well as
keep an eye out for potential prey. The main predators of the stingrays are sharks, seals,
sea lions and large species of carnivorous fish along with humans.
Stingrays breed during the winter and the female stingray gives birth to live young
usually between 5 and 15 baby stingrays, known as a litter. The baby stingrays develop
inside the mother stingray for around 9 months and feed off the remaining yolk in their
eggs sacks. When this runs out, the baby stingrays are feed milk in the uterus of the
female stingray. When the baby stingrays are born, they are able to swim about and begin
hunting with their mother.