Stingray Bay

THE OCEAN’S GENTLE GIANTS

Gliding through the water like majestic birds in the air, the over 100 rays on display in Stingray Bay, are gentle, affectionate creatures.

In the wild, stingrays spend most of their lives buried in the sand out of the view of predators and divers.

At the aquarium they relish the spotlight, and will even eat out of the hands of our divers.

Watch as Divers enter the tank and hand feed these large but gentle animals.

At the shallow end of the tank visitors may take the opportunity to touch and get up close and personal with one of these beautiful animals.

Cownose Ray
Native to the Atlantic Ocean, the Cownose Ray is a schooling ray that can be found in large groups of thousands at a time.

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These rays are golden or tan in color and can reach lengths of 4 feet in wingspan and 36 pounds. These bottom feeders use the flaps surrounding their mouths to dig through the sand to locate buried prey such as clams, mussels, and oysters. Swimmers often mistake their pectoral fins as shark fins when they break the surface of the water.

The Spotted Eagle Ray
The Spotted Eagle Ray can be easily identified with its unique rounded snout and white polka-dots along its dark purple colored back.

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Their crescent shaped teeth are used to grind up bivalves, shrimp, crabs, whelks, squid, and small fish. The Spotted Eagle Rays are schooling rays and in off mating seasons can be found in large groups worldwide in tropical and temperate waters. These rays are considered a Near Threatened species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Spotted Eagle Ray can reach a length of 16 feet and a wing span of 10 feet when fully grown.

Southern Stingrays, like all stingrays, have anywhere from 1-6 venomous spines with serrated barbs located along the base of the tail. These barbs are only used as a means of passive defense.

Southern Stingrays often visit cleaning stations where bluehead wrasses and Spanish hogfish will eat the parasites and mucus from the stingray’s bodies.

These rays can grow to over 6 feet in length and can be found in along the west coast of the Atlantic Ocean. They prefer shallow coastal waters and typically hide under the sand.