Sting Ray

There are around 200 species of Sting Ray throughout the world and the majority of them can give you a nasty sting. The largest can grow up to 2 metres in length and live up to 25 years of age. They have a very sharp barbed spike in their tail which is coated with venom. Many Sting Rays produce venom strong enough to kill a human.

They are usually very peaceful and graceful creatures and would not generally attack, but they will defend themselves if they feel threatened.
A Stingray's diet consists of fish and other small creatures such as shrimps, clams, muscles, snails and molluscs. Many of them have teeth and strong jaws which enable them to crush the shells quite easily.

They are not very active creatures, but when they do move they will flap their sides like wings and glide around the ocean floor. They are mostly nocturnal, which means they only come out at night. A Sting Ray can detect their prey by using electrical sensors located around its mouth. They are very flat and like to spend time in shallow waters.

People have been killed by Sting Rays, but it is not always due to the the venom, although extremely painful, it is not usually fatal, unless you are pieced in the chest or stabbed through a vital organ. Sting Rays remain very dangerous, even when they are dead, and should always be approached with great caution.

Dangerous Fact:
A Sting Ray is easily capable of puncturing through the chest of a human being and a direct hit to the heart would be fatal. Because the barb is serrated it causes the most damage as it is retracted from the wound.

 

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