Short tail stingray

10/10/2016

The short tail stingray, now Bathytoshia brevicaudata previously Dasyatis brevicaudata, also known as the smooth stingray. Seen off southern Africa and southern Australia and New Zealand, they range from the intertidal zone to a depths of 480 m (1,570 ft). Mostly a bottom-dweller, they range from open water habitats to reefs or estuaries.

It is the largest stingray in the world, growing up to lengths of 2.1 m (6.9 ft) across and 350 kg (770 lb). Its diamond-shaped disc is gray coloured on the dorsal side and has little to no dermal denticles. It has a thick, short tail, with a midline row of large thorns in front of its spine. Protip: Use the stingray shuffle method to avoid getting stung!

Large aggregations can sometimes be seen seasonally-- for example, check out Poor Knight Islands off New Zealand this summer! Their diet includes invertebrates and bony fish, and they are ovoviviparous, providing sustenance through histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by momma ray.

Short tail stingrays are caught as bycatch by commercial and recreational fisheries, but are hardy enough that they usually survive when released. The IUCN has therefore assessed them as Least Concern (LC).

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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.
Dorsal side: The top of an animal.
Genus: A group of organisms ranking above a species and below a family.
Invertebrates: Animals with no backbone (i.e. crustaceans, jellyfish, corals, sea anemones).

IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Recreational fishery: Also called sport fishing, it is fishing for pleasure or competition.
Trawl fisheries: Fisheries that pull a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats.