All About Stingrays

Hello, Adventurers! Welcome back to the Coastal Expeditions blog! If this is your first time visiting our blog, we’re happy to have you here. We are all about nature, adventure, and making the most out of the beautiful outdoors of South Carolina. If you enjoy all things hiking, paddling, kayaking, and spending time outdoors, you’ve come to the right place! Here on the blog, we dive deep into different habitats, excursions, conservation efforts, and nature programs. Our site is filled with interactive maps, destination guides, and educational resources. Since the weather is getting warmer, we want to help you get out there and take advantage of all that the Lowcountry has to offer! We offer guided tours of the beautiful Lowcountry by kayak, paddleboard, ferry, boat, and private charter. We also have hands-on workshops taught by highly-trained guides on wilderness skills, birding, identifying native plants, sustainability, and camping. Basically, anything you want to learn about, we teach! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take a look around our site to learn more about our offerings. In our last post, we talked about sea turtles, which can be found in the Lowcountry’s waters and on our beaches. Today, we’ll be continuing our discussion of marine life by talking about stingrays! If you are interested in learning about these fascinating creatures, stick around! Let’s get right into it.

 

Stingrays are generally easy to spot, as they have wide and flat bodies. It may come as a surprise, though, that they are considered fish. More specifically, they are cartilaginous fish, which are in the class chondrichthyes. Cartilaginous fish have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage, a firm connective tissue. (In humans, cartilage makes up our noses and ears.) You may be more familiar with some of their relatives– Sharks. That’s right, stingrays are related to sharks. And like sharks, stingrays have cartilage that supports their bodies, rather than bones. Stingrays are a group of sea rays, scientifically known as Batoidea, in which rays make up the largest group of cartilaginous fish with over 600 species. Stingrays themselves have around 200 species of their own. These fascinating creatures can be found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world. In South Carolina, the most common species are Southern stingrays, Bluntnose stingrays, and Atlantic stingrays. When it comes to rays, our state commonly sees the Smooth Butterfly ray, Cownose ray, and Eagle ray.

 

Perhaps the most unique and distinctive feature of the stingray is its anatomy. As mentioned above, they have wide and flat bodies– Sort of like a pancake! These animals have broad fins that run along the full length of their flat bodies, which can sometimes give them the appearance of a “disc”. When they flap their fins up and down, the stingray is able to glide and propel itself through the water in wave-like motions. On the top of the stingray’s flat body sits its eyes. This is a bit of an unusual placement in comparison to other animals, but it’s for good reason. Stingrays often bury themselves in the sand of the ocean floor to rest, hide from predators, or to hunt prey. They flap their wings until the sand covers everything but their eyes. With their eyes being perched on the top of their body, this allows them to continue to observe their surroundings, even when buried in the sand. Another feature of the stingray that is still visible, even when the animal buries itself in the sand, are its spiracles. Spiracles are small respiratory openings that allow some fish and amphibians to breathe. For stingrays, the spiracles are located directly behind their eyes. This precise location allows them to continue to see and breathe while buried in the sand. 

 

In addition to spiracles, stingrays also have a set of gills. Gills are respiratory organs that allow fish to breathe underwater. They have a row of five gill slits located on the underside of their bodies. Stingrays often take water in through their mouths and then send the water through their gills. The gills have membranes covered in soft tissue that contains millions of blood vessels. When water passes over these membranes, the oxygen moves from the water and into the stingray’s bloodstream. When buried in sand on the ocean floor, they are unable to use their mouths and gills, as they are located on the underside of their bodies. In this case, they will switch to using their spiracles. 

 

With their mouths located on the underside, or ventral side, of their bodies, they can easily roam around the ocean floor for prey. Despite not having bones, stingrays have remarkably strong jaws. In fact, their jaws are strong enough to crush extremely hard materials, such as clam shells! And it may come as a surprise, but stingrays actually have teeth. The teeth are made of modified placoid scales, which are small but tough scales that cover the skin of cartilaginous fish. The visible portion of each tooth is large and flat, allowing them to crush the bodies of hard-shelled prey. They also regularly shed and regrow their teeth throughout their lives. In fact, they are constantly growing new teeth beneath their existing teeth, so they never have to worry about running out!

 

If stingrays weren’t already fascinating enough, they have an incredible way of defending themselves: Their tails. Stingrays have long, thin, tapered tails that they use as a whip when encountered by predators. They are even able to whip their tail up and over their head. In some species of stingray, the end of the tail contains one or more barbed spines. These barbs are covered by a sheath, and are not only sharp, but they are venomous. When the spine pierces the skin of a predator or what is perceived as a threat, the sheath around each spine breaks apart and releases venom into the wound. Since stingrays often bury themselves in the sand and can camouflage themselves, they can be hard to spot– And easy to step on. It is important to note that stingrays are known for their gentle nature. They generally do not attack people, and will often choose to swim away from what they perceive as a threat. With that being said, they usually only sting when they are stepped on by unaware swimmers. If you are wading through the water, shuffle your feet a bit to stir up the sand. This will let any burrowed stingrays know that you are coming, and they should move out of the way. 

 

If you do happen to get stung by a stingray, you will likely feel immediate pain. If the wound is superficial, begin treating it right away. Remain calm and stay in the water, allowing the salt water to rinse the wound. Pull the barb out if you can and apply pressure to the wound to slow bleeding and encourage the venom to come out. If the barb has punctured a sensitive area of the body such as the neck, chest, or abdomen, do not attempt to remove it. Seek emergency medical attention. With medical attention, the sting should heal within a few weeks. However, the location of the sting, amount of venom injected, extent of tissue damage, and promptness of treatment will determine how fast the wound heals. 

 

Here at Coastal Expeditions, we offer a variety of guided eco-tours and excursions that give you the opportunity to see wildlife like stingrays up close! For example, this month we are offering our Shem Creek Paddleboard Tour on Mondays, which gives you a unique perspective of the Lowcountry. On this tour, you’ll encounter wildlife, including elusive species such as loggerhead sea turtles, manatees, dolphins, and– of course– rays! The beautiful coastal waters of the Lowcountry are great places to spot these magnificent marine creatures. In particular, the Southern stingray is common within estuaries, where rivers meet the sea. 

 

We would like to take this time to remind you that if you happen to spot a stingray, please be respectful and keep your distance. We hope that you found this article informative and helpful. As always, we thank you for reading and we hope to see you back on our blog soon! If you have any questions about our guided tours, reach out to us! At Coastal Expeditions, we are committed to introducing people to the wonders of the ecosystems of the Charleston area by providing guided tours and educational opportunities. If you’re looking to explore all that the Lowcountry has to offer, check out our offerings on our website to find the adventure which suits you best! We also offer kid-friendly tours as well as kids programs, camps, and kayak lessons. Our tours are led by knowledgeable, approachable naturalists and sea captains who are eager to answer your questions! Until next time, readers. Get out there and explore! Adventure awaits!

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@coastalexpeditions

St. Phillips Island & Beaufort Rentals

Offering Kayaks and Paddleboards

Take in the stunning beauty of local creeks and waters from one of our kayaks or SUPs. Walk-ups are welcome or call / text to book and we’ll be ready when you are. All gear and instruction provided.

Call or text 843.884.7684 to book.

Outpost Location

Need A Guide?

If you really want to get a feel for the local history, identify the native wildlife, and get to special places, you'll need someone experienced to show you the way. We'll get you there.

Check out our St. Phillips Island & Beaufort tours.

Rent a Kayak or Paddleboard Click to Book via Text

Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant Rentals

Offering Kayaks and Paddleboards

Take in the stunning beauty of local creeks and waters from one of our kayaks or SUPs. Walk-ups are welcome or call / text to book and we’ll be ready when you are. All gear and instruction provided.

Call or text 843.884.7684 to book.

Outpost Location

Need A Guide?

If you really want to get a feel for the local history, identify the native wildlife, and get to special places, you'll need someone experienced to show you the way. We'll get you there.

Check out our Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant tours.

Rent a Kayak or Paddleboard Click to Book via Text