Kapala stingaree

7/9/2018

Source: Richard Ling / Flickr.

The Kapala Stingaree (Urolophus kapalensis) is a recently described animal -- like, 2006 recent (okay, maybe not that recently). A green-brown stingaree, they have a dark mask around their eyes that matches with the dark patches above the bases of their pelvic fins. This stingaree has a pale caudal fin that has a dark-colored margin although juveniles have been observed to have a dark caudal fin.

The dangerous thing this animal has? Don't let the mask fool you, it won't rob you- but if you aren't careful and accidentally startle or step on this animal, the venomous serrated spine on their tail can inflict a painful injury! Do the stingray shuffle, friends.

Like many stingarees, they enjoy soft bottoms, and are often near sandy/shelly areas, seagrass beds or around rocky reefs. Endemic to eastern Australia, they are observed from Queensland down to southern New South Wales. They are caught as bycatch in the Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery (ECTF) and in the New South Wales Ocean Prawn Trawl Fishery.

Stingarees viviparous with yolk sac, and the little ones are also sustained by histotroph, a "uterine milk" produced by the mother. They are listed as Near Threatened (NT) by the IUCN.

EVER HEARD OF THE ANIMAL?

GLOSSARY

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.
Viviparous with yolk-sac: Also known as aplacental viviparous and previously known as ovoviviparous/ovoviviparity; it is the production of eggs that are fertilised and hatch inside the female shark but the embryos lack a placental connection to the oviduct or uterus and so do not feed off the mother.