Southern Stingray

The southern stingray is adapted for life on the sea bed. Its flattened, diamond-shaped body is more angular than other rays. The top of the body varies between olive brown and green in adults, dark grey in juveniles, whilst the underside is white. The wing-like pectoral fins are used to propel the stingray across the ocean bottom, whilst the slender tail possesses a long, serrated and venomous spine at the base, used for defense. These spines are not fatal to humans, but are incredibly painful if stepped on. The eyes are situated on top of the head of the southern stingray, along with small openings called spiracles. The location of the spiracles enables the stingray to take in water whilst lying on the seabed, or when partially buried in sediment. Water enters the spiracles and leaves through the gill openings, bypassing the mouth which is on the underside.

To avoid predators, Hypanus americanus bury themselves in substrate. Venomous spines on the tail are used to repel predators, including humans and great hammerhead sharks.

Southern stingrays are nocturnal predators, who spray water from their mouths or flap their fins vigorously to disturb the substrate and expose hidden prey. This bottom-dwelling species is often found singly or in pairs, and can reach population densities estimated up to 245 per square kilometre (630/mi2) in certain shallow systems thought to be nursery grounds. Hypanus americanus exhibit wave-like locomotion using their pectoral fins. This wave-like motion is important for H. americanus because it allows them to escape predators, forage efficiently, and generally maneuver quickly. Typically, they travel large distances and their foraging area is very expansive. One study provided observations that H. americanus swim along the tide, because of the greater food availability along tides. H.

Hypanus americanus are ovoviviparous. Fertilized eggs develop inside the mother's body. The embryos receive nutrients from the yolk sack early in development. After the yolk sac is absorbed, the embryos obtain nutrients from the histotroph (the mother's uterine milk). Females reproduce annually. This species gives live birth after a pregnancy which usually lasts between seven and eight months. Parental care ceases once the young are born. In captivity, gestation lasted 135 to 226 days, after which a litter of two to ten young were born.

In many parts of the Caribbean such as Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Antigua, the southern stingray swims with divers and snorkelers, and are hand fed at locations such as Stingray City and the Sandbar. On Turks & Caicos, they can be hand fed at a location called Gibbs Cay. Some have become tame enough to be cradled in visitors' arms and feed with pieces of cut up fish. This docile and food-reward driven behavior has led to many locals comparing the hand-fed and belly-rubbed stingray to an over-fed household canine. There are concerns that this feeding, and the high levels of interaction with humans, may be having some negative impacts on their behavior and ecology.