Ray
Blue Stingray
Dasyatis chrysonota
A southern African stingray with blue-grey wings and gold markings, often found half-buried in the sand between reef patches.
Also known as blue ray
- Typical size
- Disc to ~75 cm across
- Habitat
- Sandy patches between inshore reefs
- Depth
- Shallows to ~100 m
The blue stingray is a southern African endemic ray, its disc olive to blue-grey above with fine golden spots and lines. It spends much of its time resting in sandy patches near reef, flicking sand over its back for camouflage.
It feeds on crabs, prawns and small fish, using its plated jaws to crush shellfish. Like all stingrays it carries a venomous tail spine used only in defence, so divers give a resting ray a respectful berth - but it is not aggressive and will usually glide away if disturbed.