Dasyatis americana has no dorsal or caudal fin. The ventral surface of the ray is always white with the top ranging from khaki to dark brown to slate gray. Chondrichthyes is that the entire endoskeleton is made of cartilage. Bone is completley absent from the entire class. This is an interesting fact, espacially since the ancestors of the Chondrichthyes had well-developed bone.
Females are the larger of the two sexes, with a maximum width of six feet across.
The average female, however, is considerably smaller. The Southern Stingray's main diet consists of crabs, shell fish, marine worms, conch, shrimp, and occasionally small fish. The mouth of the Southern Stingray is hidden on the flat underside, and it feeds by slowly grazing the sand of the ocean floor. With the eyes on top side of the ray, it relies on highly developed electro-receptors combined with an acute sense of smell and touch. After the prey is sensed, the ray covers it with its body.