Southern Stingray Hypanus americanus (prev. Dasyatis americana)

The Southern Stingray is the western Atlantic equivalent of the Common Stingray. It is native to sandy coasts, reefs and estuaries from eastern USA to Brazil, including the Caribbean.

It can grow to nearly 2 metres wide but is usually less. Its long whiptail, which, when intact, is some 2.5 times the disc width, has a venomous spine about a third of the way along.

The underside, like most rays, is mainly white and contains the mouth, giving a ghostly facelike appearance. The pectoral fins (wings) of stingrays join at the snout, unlike those of eagle rays.

Like the Common Stingray, upper body colour is a plain brownish, olive or grey. There are "spiracles" above the eye for breathing when the gills are buried in the sand.