FAQs

No. Our stingray school is regularly debarbed, a process compared with trimming a fingernail. Stingrays have venomous spines along or near the base of the tail. The muscular whip-like tail can be lashed about quickly in defense. Occasionally people will accidentally step on stingrays that are partially buried in the sand, resulting in a painful wound in the foot. Although the spines are dosed with venom, wounds are not normally lethal. However, it is still important to get medical attention as soon as possible to avoid any potential infection.

This is a good way to ensure that you won’t accidentally step on a stingray in the wild. When you’re walking in the ocean, simply shuffle your feet. Stingrays will feel the vibrations from your sweet dance moves and have a chance to move.

The definition of a fish according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, “a cold-blooded animal that lives in water, breathes with gills, and usually has fins and scales.” So yep, stingrays are fish!

Rays have dental plates that crush their food (crabs, clams, worms and even small fishes).

No. The egg hatches inside the mother and the baby grows inside until it’s big enough to survive solo.

Stingrays and children
Retrieved from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum web site on 11-08-2024
https://www.desertmuseum.org/stingrays/faq.php