How long stingrays live varies greatly by species, Kajiura said. Baby stingrays are often small enough to fit in a human palm, and sometimes look "squatty" and "pudgy," he said. Newborn stingrays "come out as fully functional miniatures of the adult," Newton said. They tend to give birth once a year to between two and six live young, according to National Geographic Kids.
Mating season lasts a few months (which months depends on the species of stingray), and teeth that grow afterward resume the regular flat shape in males.įemale stingrays often have long gestation periods, ranging from 6 months to 2 years, Newton said. (Image credit: Shutterstock) When do stingrays mate? The organs allow the stingray to detect the bioelectric fields created by other animals in the water. Stingrays have a network of tiny sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini surrounding their mouths.
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However, in at least one species of stingray, the female's skin is 50% thicker than the males, providing her a bit of protection from the male's sharp teeth, Kajiura said. Females are often left with scars from mating. The male stingray uses its sharper teeth to secure himself to a mate during reproduction, as stingrays are rather slippery. The stingray "is the only vertebrate we've documented that has seasonal changes in tooth shape," Kajiura said. Most of the time, stingrays have rounded, flat molars, but during mating season, the male stingray's teeth become pointed, though not as pointed (or as large) as shark teeth. Stingrays go through a lot of teeth, shedding a complete set every 10 to 30 days, Kajiura said. Once they've located and captured their prey with the help of their ampullae of Lorenzini, stingrays use their hard teeth to break the shells of their victims, and can even chew their meal, rather than gulping it down. Related: Clever cuttlefish 'freeze' bioelectric fields to avoid predators All sharks and rays have ampullae of Lorenzini, and a few other species of fish have been reported to have the unique organs as well, including lungfish and sturgeon. These organs are small, fluid-filled electrical receptors that are located near the stingray's mouth and look like tiny black holes in the animal's skin, according to National Geographic. Stingrays are able to detect the bioelectric fields of the animals around them using a network of special sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini. Freshwater stingrays eat insects as well.Īs those creatures (and any others) move through the water, they generate a bioelectric field, or electrical signature of sorts, said Kyle Newton, a biologist at Washington University in St.
Stingrays eat bottom-dwelling prey, such as worms, clams and shrimp, according to SeaWorld Orlando. (These are manta rays.) (Image credit: Shutterstock) What do stingrays eat?
An easy way to tell manta rays from stingrays is that manta rays have two small fins on either side of their mouths, while stingrays don't have fins around their mouths. Manta rays are related to stingrays but are in a separate family. Sometimes, eagle rays travel in schools and will leap completely out of the water to avoid predators, according to the Florida Museum. Eagle rays also have rounded pelvic fins near their tail, and the tail itself is much longer than either a manta ray or stingray. Related: Rare pink manta ray caught courting lady friend down underĮagle rays, such as the spotted eagle ray ( Aetobatus narinari), have angular wing flaps and a distinct snout that manta rays and stingrays don't have, according to the Florida Museum. And while there are over 200 species of stingrays, there are just 2 species of manta rays. Manta rays also have two small appendages that stick out on either side of their mouth called cephalic fins, according to NOAA, which stingrays don't have. Also, manta rays aren't hunters like stingrays, but are filter feeders, swimming with their mouth open to sift out small animals living in the water column, Kajiura said. Stingrays, manta rays and eagle rays are all related and belong to the same order, Myliobatiformes, but each are in different families and differ from one another in several ways.įor example, the manta ray's mouth is located on the front of their bodies rather than on the bottom, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Are stingrays the same as manta rays or eagle rays? Most species of stingrays sport dull colors that help with camouflage, though some do have more lively colors, such as the blue-spotted stingray (Taeniura lymma), Kajiura said. Related: Giant stingray could be world's largest freshwater fish
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