They live in shallow bays, sounds, and in-shore waters where sandy bottoms are abundant. Stingrays feed primarily on mollusks and crustaceans for which they borrow in the sand and on the occasional small fish. Sharks feed on stingrays, barbed tail notwithstanding. Rays have broad, flat, almost disk-shaped bodies with no distinct head. Their have eyes on their top, a blunt but slightly pointed snout, and large pectoral fins on the side with which they gracefully swim.
Stingrays have strong, heavy cartilage dental plates with which they crush their food.
Southern Stingrays have white underbellies and slate gray, brown, or black upper surfaces. Stingrays bear live young. Stingrays frequently lay buried in the sand and use their barbed tail to protect themselves from danger from above. However, stingrays are not aggressive and will flee from danger whenever possible. When swimming, Stingrays are not capable of directing their tail and are therefore rather defenseless.