Southern stingrays spend their days stirring up sand along the ocean floor in the Northwest and Western Central Atlantic Oceans from New Jersey, USA to Amapá, Brazil. While these peaceful creatures aren′t looking for trouble, a surprised stingray might use its sharp spine if accidentally stepped on by an unsuspecting tourist. The next time you′re at the beach, be sure to watch your step for these shallow sifters!
If you′re looking to spot a southern stingray in the wild, you′re most likely to encounter one off the coast of Florida or the Bahamas. Although, these creatures can be found as far north as New Jersey, and as far south as Amapá, Brazil.
Southern stingrays are mostly found in algal fields, shallow marine waters, or sea grass beds. Because they′re bottom dwellers, southern stingrays are almost constantly scouring the ocean floor for their next snack, which may be a crustacean, mollusk, or annelid. To locate their food, these rays glide close to the ocean floor, using their fins to stir up the silt and expose prey. They′ve also been observed shooting water from their mouths at potential food targets to reveal their location.
Southern stingrays also have some sneaky camouflage tricks up their sleeves! When threatened, they can use their fins to cover themselves with sand to hide from predators. Although these stingrays′ beige bellies may blend in with the ocean floor, the tops of their flat bodies are grey and green, requiring some extra camouflage to avoid predators such as humans or hammerhead sharks!