Southern stingray

Southern stingrays live in tropical and subtropical coastal waters in the western Atlantic Ocean, from New Jersey to southern Brazil. They are often associated with coral reefs and seagrass beds, feeding on mollusks, shrimp, crabs, and other invertebrates that occur on the sea floor.

Southern stingrays are nocturnal predators, locating prey using electroreception and their highly-developed sense of smell. They stir up the substrate with their wings or by spraying water from their mouths to uncover potential prey items buried in the sand. To avoid predators like scalloped hammerheads, they bury themselves in the sand during the day, with only their eyes and spiracles visible. (Male)