coastal stingaree

Source: Dave Harasti / www.daveharasti.com. License: All rights reserved

The Coastal Stingaree (Urolophus orarius) is a grey-brown rounded critter with dark markings that almost look like a marbled effect most people are loving on their cakes lately. They have a short tail that sports a spear-shaped caudal fin and an IN YOUR FACE venomous spine. #Finfact: The Coastal Stingaree has no dorsal fin. 

Endemic to the South Australia region, you can find them in inshore areas up to 50 metres deep that are predominantly sandy or, as seen about, full of shells. Here, they hunt for their favourite food: crustaceans! But the hunter often becomes hunted, as they are caught as bycatch in commercial trawling fisheries. 

Reaching a maximum size of about 31 cm total length (TL), they are listed as Endangered (EN) by the IUCN.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

• Bycatch: The part of a fishery’s catch that is made up of non-target species.
• Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.
• ​Crustaceans: Group of animals with a hard exoskeleton, jointed legs and segmented body.
• Endemic: Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• Trawl fisheries: Fisheries that pull a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats.​

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