Species profile
Southern Stingray
Hypanus americanus
Identify Southern Stingray (Hypanus americanus) from a photo — free, unlimited, no sign-up — with the CatchRules iPhone app.
At a glance
Southern Stingray (Hypanus americanus) is an IUCN Near Threatened shark or ray present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 611 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, North Carolina, and Texas the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Females can reach a disc width of nearly 5 feet — almost double the size of males.
- They bury in sand with only eyes exposed to ambush crabs, worms, and mollusks.
- At Grand Cayman's Stingray City, wild rays have been hand-fed by snorkelers for decades.
- Electroreceptors in the snout detect faint electrical fields of animals buried in sediment.
- Feeds primarily on bivalves, worms, shrimp, and small fish excavated from sandy bottoms.
Where Southern Stingray are seen
Background
The southern stingray (Dasyatis americana) is a whiptail stingray found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to southern Brazil. It has a flat, diamond-shaped disc, with a mud brown, olive, and grey dorsal surface and white underbelly (ventral surface). The barb on its tail is serrated and covered in a venomous mucous, used for self-defense.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Southern Stingray article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other sharks & rays on CatchRules
Frequently asked questions
What is Southern Stingray?
Southern Stingray (Hypanus americanus) is an IUCN Near Threatened shark or ray present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
What is the scientific name for Southern Stingray?
Southern Stingray is Hypanus americanus.
Are there fishing rules for Southern Stingray?
Southern Stingray does not currently have published fishing rules in CatchRules' curated jurisdictions. Identification, range, and habitat are still tracked above.
How can I identify Southern Stingray?
Take a photo with the free CatchRules iPhone app — on-device identification recognizes Southern Stingray along with ~1,500 other species. No sign-up, unlimited use.
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.