Southern stingrays inhabit bays and estuaries from New Jersey to Brazil, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. They dwell on the sandy bottom of in-shore waters and sounds. They inhabit temperate and tropical seas.
Southern stingrays are the largest stingray found along southeastern U.S. shores.
They are fairly uniformly brown in color, with lighter shading underneath. Rays are flat, with a disc-shaped body and no distinct head, with a snout, eyes on top of their head and a mouth underneath. Rays have wing-like pectoral fins, large and flat, that allow them to glide through the water gracefully. This wingspan can reach up to six feet. Length from snout to tail may be over seven feet.