STINGRAYS: PART 1
During the next couple of months we’re going to look at some of the
Stingrays and their relatives that live around Tybee. You might have heard
of sharks and rays referred to as cartilaginous fish. They are primitive
fish with skeletons made of cartilage rather than hard bone. Other
differences between cartilaginous fish and bony fish are: cartilaginous
fish have multiple gill slits or openings while bony fish have only a pair;
and cartilaginous fish have tough skin without scales while bony fish
have scales.
Stingrays and their close relatives, the Skates, have a flat body with
broad elongated fins that look like wings. Some Skates and Rays are
active swimmers that look like they are flying through the water. Lots of
Skates and Rays, however, live on the bottom. They use their fins in an
undulating pattern to move across the bottom and to bury themselves in
the sand.
Many species of Stingrays have a thin whip-like tail, and most have a
pointed, serrated spine or stinger that is usually located about half-way
out the tail. The spine is sharp, and its re-curved saw-toothed edges
make it especially dangerous because pieces of the spine easily break off
into whatever the spine penetrates. At the base of the spine are usually
venom producing glands.
A Stingray can whip its tail around, and even over its head, so there is a
large area around its body that is dangerous. Most folks who tell me that
they have been stuck by a Stingray show me their wound mark on their
hand rather than around their feet (where you would think). They go on to
tell me that they caught one while fishing, and while unhooking it, did not
realize that the Stingray could swing its stinger way up toward its head,
and the stinger got them in the hand.
From my experience with Tybee Beach Ecology Trips, and from watching
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fishermen on Tybee, the two most common Stingrays around here are the
Atlantic Stingray and the Southern Stingray. They look similar, with sandy
brown skin on top, with body length and width about equal, and both with
a long whip-like tail. Both also have a dangerous spine about half-way
out the tail.
The Atlantic Stingray has a pointed, projecting “snout” (like a capital
“A” for Atlantic). Its wings have rounded outer corners. They can grow
up to 2 feet across, and they are known to move up into rivers, even into
freshwater areas.
The Southern Stingray has a smooth, rounded snout. Its wings have
slightly pointed corners. Southern Stingrays are the largest stingray
around here, and can grow up to 6 feet across. I have personally measured
one that was 5 feet across that was caught by a surf fisherman on Tybee.
Next month, we’ll look at some of the other Rays and Skates that we
sometimes see on Tybee.
Dr. Joe Richardson (Ph.D. Marine Sciences) is a retired marine science
professor with 40 years of research and teaching experience along GA, the
southeastern coast and Bahamas. Besides research, he conducts Tybee
Beach Ecology Trips (www.TybeeBeachEcology.com) and frequently posts
pictures of their findings on his Tybee Beach Ecology Trips Facebook page.
Beach Walks
with Dr. Joe
By Dr. Joe Richardson
/(www.TybeeBeachEcology.com)