Facts about Stingrays

1. 09

   A stingray's mouth, nostrils, and gill slits are located on its flat underside, while its eyes are positioned on top of its body.

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2. 08

   Over 200 species of stingrays inhabit oceans, estuaries, and freshwater rivers across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

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3. 07

   Flat, diamond-shaped bodies allow stingrays to compress themselves into crevices and beneath sand layers as narrow as 2 inches deep for camouflage and protection from predators.

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4. 06

   Mothers of round stingrays can produce between 1 and 4 live pups per litter, with females reaching sexual maturity around 5 to 8 years of age depending on species.

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5. 05

   Electrical sensors called ampullae of Lorenzini covering a stingray's body can detect electric fields as weak as 5 nanovolts per centimeter, allowing them to hunt prey buried in sand.

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6. 04

   During a single year, a stingray can consume up to 3 percent of its body weight in food, primarily eating mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish on ocean floors.

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7. 03

   Stingrays reproduce through internal fertilization and most species give live birth after a gestation period of 9 to 12 months.

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8. 02

   Ancient stingray fossils dating back 150 million years show these creatures have remained virtually unchanged since the Jurassic period.

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9. 01

   The barbed tail spine of stingrays can grow up to 14 inches long and deliver venom that causes severe pain lasting hours or days in humans.

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