Cartilaginous fish · Myliobatiformes · Dasyatidae

Common Stingray

Dasyatis pastinaca

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

Its tail sting, up to 35 cm long, carries venom that can cause serious wounds in people, though it is entirely harmless if left alone, spending most of its time half-buried and motionless on the sea floor.

Weight

up to 14.6 kg

Size

8 cm – 2.5 m

Lifespan

13 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Near Threatened Fish Ocean

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Fun facts

defensaIt has one or more venomous spines at the base of its tail, used only in defence, since it does not hunt large animals.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - cartilaginous skeleton (chondrichthyan fish)
Habitat & environment: Sandy and muddy coastal bottoms of the north-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, down to 200 m
Birth weight: Born live (ovoviviparous), roughly 8-14 cm across the disc
Size at birth: 8-14 cm across the disc at birth, its venomous barb already developed
Sexual maturity: Male: ~26-31 cm across the disc | Female: ~28-46 cm across the disc (roughly 3-4 years in some populations)
Gestation / incubation: ~4 months
Litter / clutch size: 3 to 9 young per litter (some sources give 4-7)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 21 years in captivity