The stinger is capable of inflicting painful cuts as well as delivering a poisonous blow with each strike. Stingrays are ocean floor prowlers. They usually eat bottom dwellers, such as crustaceans and mollusks. They like to hide underneath the sand with only their eyes, spiracle, and tail poking out, and will use their large pectoral fins to loosen and scoop food out of the sand. Click image for big picture.
Gestation is between four months to one year.
Breeding season is from late spring to early summer. Development is oviparous, with clutches of two to nine in size, and egg cases hatch from late summer to winter. Males are smaller than females. Lifespan is unknown. People often hand-feed Southern stingrays in dive spots such as in Grand Cayman.