| Southern stingray | ||||||||||||||||
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| Dasyatis americana (Hildebrand & Schroeder, 1928) |
The southern stingray, Dasyatis americana, is a stingray of the family Dasyatidae found in tropical and subtropical waters of the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. It has a flat, diamond-shaped body, with a mud brown upper-body and white underbelly. The barb on its tail is venomous and is used for self defence. Thee to five pups are usually born per litter after a 5 month pregnancy (may last up to 9 months). Its diet consists of bony fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.
