Round stingray
The Round Stingray, scientifically known as Urobatis halleri, is a unique species distinguished by its nearly round body and smooth, light-brown back adorned with dark, wiggly lines or spots. Typically found in shallow, calm waters of bays and coastlines, it can inhabit depths ranging from a few inches to 100 feet, with a preference for areas around 10 to 20 feet deep. This stingray is equipped with a sharp spine on its thicker, fleshy tail, which contains venom capable of causing severe pain and potentially death to predators or humans.
Round stingrays primarily feed on small fish, mollusks, and crustaceans, using their strong, flat teeth to crush shells. They are solitary hunters and have a unique reproductive strategy, giving birth to live young after a gestation period of about three months, typically producing one to six pups. These pups are independent shortly after birth and reach maturity in 2.5 to 3 years. With a lifespan of 8 to 14 years, the round stingray showcases fascinating adaptations, including cartilage-based fins that allow for agile movement in the water.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Round stingray
True to its name, this stingray's nearly-round body is its distinguishing feature among the numerous other species. It may hide in the sand in only a few inches (centimeters) of water or at depths of 100 feet (30 meters), but it is most common at depths around 10 to 20 feet (three to six meters).
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Myliobatiformes
Family: Urotrygonidae
Genus: Urobatis
Species: Halleri
Dark, wiggly lines mark the smooth, light-brown back of the round stingray. Sometimes these markings appear to be spots. The underside of the stingray's flattened, nearly round body is yellow. Its short tail is thicker and more fleshy than other stingray species’ round, thin tails. Like the others' tails, the round stingray's tail does have a short, sharp spine growing from its top surface. Inside this spine is the poison with which the stingray defends itself and which gives this creature its name. The sharp spine can injure a predator or person. The poison itself is very painful and can even cause death. The round stingray averages around 3 to 10 inches (8 to 25 centimeters) wide.
The most common place to find the round stingray is in bays and along coastlines where the water is shallow and calm. This species buries itself beneath the surface of the sand or mud in water two to three fathoms, or 12 to 18 feet (3 1/2 to 5 1/2 meters) deep. Some swim in water as shallow as a few inches (centimeters) or as deep as 100 feet (30 meters). Round stingrays live and hunt alone.
As with the other stingrays, the round stingray's diet includes a variety of small fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Its strong, flat teeth crush the shells quite easily. It tends to feed and live alone. Black sea bass (Stereolepis gigas), leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata), and northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) prey on the round stingray.
After mating in the spring, the female does not lay eggs in the water or on the bottom but keeps them inside her body for about three months. The eggs then hatch inside her womb, and the young feed on their eggs' yolk sacs. After these are eaten, the young receive nourishment from blood vessels in the womb. Between one and six pups are born live. A female may have up to 12 young each year. They are independent shortly after birth. They reach maturity after 2 1/2 to 3 years or once they reach 5 3/4 inches (14 1/2 centimeters) wide.
The stingray moves through the water by flapping its fleshy, wing-like pectoral fins on either side of its head. Neither these fins nor the stingray's body or tail contain bones. Flexible but firm cartilage, like that which people have in their noses and ears, allows the fins to move smoothly and propel the stingray forward. Because its body does not have bones, the stingray is classed with other similar fish, including sharks, in a group called cartilaginous fish.
The life span of the round stingray is 8 to 14 years.
Bibliography
"Round Stingray." Florida Museum of Natural History, www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/urobatis-halleri. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
"Round Stingray (Round Ray)." Aquarium of the Pacific, www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/round‗stingray. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.