Common Name:
Stingray.
Family:
Dasyatids.
Description:
Rays are close relatives of sharks, and, like sharks, have cartlidge skeletons, rather than bone.
They are immediately recognisable by their flat shape and their wing-like fins. Rays seem to fly
through the water rather than swim.
Another distinguishing feature of a stingray, is the barbed "stinger" at the end of its tail, under
which is a venom-secreting membrane. Though quite painful, stings are rarely fatal, as they usually
occur on the hands or feet of divers. The most famous of all stingray stings, however, was fatal,
that which took the life of celebrated Australian naturalist and TV personality Steve Irwin.