Types of Stingrays

This species of venomous ray is distributed in the Atlantic by the coasts of Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, United States, Mexico and Uruguay. Generally speaking, they inhabit temperate waters on soft bottoms at 100 m depth, but this can extend up to about 275 m. The roughtail stingray is grey on the dorsal side and white on the ventral area, having a body in the shape of a blunt diamond.

The size of the roughtail stingray can range from 3-13 ft (1 to 4 m) and the mass can reach up to 772 lb (350 kg). The length of the roughtail's stinger can reach about 12" (30 cm), with a whip-shaped cartilage stinger with double-toothed sides and the presence of a venom composed of a neurotoxin that can be lethal to humans. However, they only attack defensively. It is classified as ‘vulnerable’.

The common stingray is a species of venomous stingray native to Africa and Europe, with a presence in the eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It is also distributed in the North Sea, the Canary Islands, Madeira, the Azores and reaches as far as Angola. It has a range between 0 and 200 m, but prefers to be located at about 50 m in muddy and rocky areas. It usually measures 18" (45 cm) wide and 8 ft (2.5 m )long. It is grey, brown or reddish in color.

The common stingray has a thin, whip-like tail that measures up to 14" (35 cm), which has a sharp, serrated spine and has a base with a venom gland. This venomous stingray is not usually aggressive to humans, but it can cause a defensive wound that can be extremely painful to people. Its conservation status is ‘vulnerable’. The photo below shows this type of stingray trolling the seabed for food.

The short-tail stingray is a type of stingray that has a disjunct distribution in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, with presence in southern Africa, southern Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Russia. It lives in shallow bays, estuaries, rocky reefs, islands far from the coast, open seabed and, rarely, near the surface. Depending on the area, it can be found at different depths, ranging from 0 to 480 m. It has a grey color on the back and white on the belly.

It can reach a mass of 772 lb (350 kg) and a length of 3-13 ft (1 to 4 m). It has a venomous tail that can cause fatal injuries to people. Symptoms of a short-tail stingray sting include weakness, intense pain, necrosis, nausea, headache, hypotension, respiratory and circulatory problems. It is classified as ‘least concern’.

Native to the Americas, the southern stingray can be found in the northwest and central western Atlantic. Their population ranges from the United States to the Caribbean of Colombia and Venezuela. It lives in seagrass beds and coral reefs, generally up to 100 m deep. The upper part of the body can be olive green, brown or grey, while the lower part is white.

The size of the southern stingray varies between the sexes, with females measuring around 5 ft (1.5 m) and males being much smaller at 2 ft (0.65 m). Although it is not lethal to humans, painful wounds are often experienced when stepped on accidentally in shallow waters. It is classified as ‘near threatened’.

Learn more about the differences between males and females of certain species with our article on sexual dimorphism in animals.

Among the most deadly stingrays we find this species known as the pelagic ray. It has a global distribution throughout tropical and temperate oceans. It is probably the only species found in the pelagic zone, meaning it swims mainly in the open columns of water between the surface and seabed. It has a depth range generally up to 100 m.

The pelagic stingray is characterized by the presence of a thick pectoral disk, with a dark purple or blue-green color. It usually measures 4.3 ft (1.3 m) in length and 24" (60 c) in width. It has a whip-shaped tail, which ends in a fairly long stinger which is serrated for a more deadly sting. It can cause fatal wounds in humans . Its conservation status is considered of ‘least concern’.

Learn more about types of venomous stingrays and their potential danger in our article asking how dangerous are stingrays really?

As their name suggests, this whipray is a type of freshwater stingray that lives in rivers and estuaries in northern Australia. It is possibly also in Papua New Guinea. It is distinguished by its large size, reaching up to 4.6 (1.4 m) in width. It a brown or light gray body that allows it to camouflage itself on sandy and muddy bottoms.

This ray is particularly known for its powerful venomous stinger on its tail, which it uses in self-defense if it feels threatened. While not usually fatal to humans, its sting causes extreme pain, swelling and sometimes infection. Despite this species being classified as ‘least concern’, it is relatively little known to science.

Sometimes known simply as the round stingray, the round fantail stingray is a species that inhabits the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic. This includes the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and adjacent areas of West Africa. It prefers sandy and seagrass bottoms, generally in coastal waters at about 100 m depth. You can see a photo below of this type of stingray hiding in the sandy seabed.

As their name suggests, this type of stingray has a circular body that is very robust and usually measures up to 1 m in diameter. Its color varies between brown and grey tones. Like other species, it has a poisonous stinger in its tail, which it uses as a defense mechanism.

Its sting can cause intense pain and inflammation, but it rarely poses a life-threatening danger to humans. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this species is classified as ‘near threatened’.

The cowtail stingray is a type of venomous stingray that inhabits the coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific, from the coasts of eastern Africa to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is found in shallow habitats, especially in lagoons, bays and estuaries. It prefers sandy and muddy bottoms, reaching depths of up to 60 m.

It is of considerable size, with a disc that can reach up to 6 ft (1.8 m) wide, 10 ft (3 m) long and has a long tail. As the photo shows, this tail has a ventral skin fold, somewhat resembling a cow's tail. In addition to the skin fold, it has a dangerous stinger which is uses as a defense mechanism. Its skin has been used for a type of leather known as galuchat. Being highly valued for its skin, this type of stingray is considered ‘near threatened’.

Learn more about how stingrays survive with our article asking how do fish reproduce?

This type of stingray species widely distributed in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the coasts of East Africa to southern Japan and northern Australia. It lives in coral reefs and shallow sandy areas. It has a flattened olive-green or light brown body, adorned with vibrant blue spots and stripes on its pectoral fins.

The bluespotted ribbontail ray has a long and thin tail, equipped with one or two venomous stingers. The sting of this stingray can cause intense pain and inflammatory reactions, but is not usually fatal to humans. Its conservation status is ‘least concern’.

Discover the endangered animals of the Great Barrier Reef with our related guide.

This type of stingray is a species that inhabits the freshwater river systems of Southeast Asia, living in river areas with slow currents and sandy or muddy bottoms. It has a flattened, light brown or greyish body, with a distinctive white border on its pectoral fins that provides its common name.

It can reach a diameter of up to 16" (40 cm) and has a long, thin tail equipped with a poisonous stinger that can cause intense pain, redness and inflammation. Unfortunately, it is classified as ‘endangered’. For this reason, there are hardly any photos of its presence in the wild.

In addition to the above, there are various species of venomous stingrays, below we mention some others:

• Chinese stingray (Hemitrygon sinensis)
• Diamond stingray (Hypanus dipterurus)
• Estuary stingray (Hemitrygon fluviorum)
• Sharpnose stingray (Telatrygon acutirostra)
• Longtail stingray (Hypanus longus)
• Peppered maskray (Neotrygon picta)
• Leopard whipray (Himantura leoparda)
• Brown whipray (Maculabatis toshi)
• Pink stingray (Pateobatis fai)
• Giant freshwater stingray (Urogymnus polylepis)

Discover the differences between stingrays and manta rays with our related guide to these types of cartilaginous fish.

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