Pair of Stingrays

Description: Dasyatidae is a family of rays, cartilaginous marine fish, related to skates and sharks. Dasyatids are common in tropical coastal waters throughout the world, and there are freshwater species in Asia (Himantura sp.), Africa, and Florida (Dasyatis sabina). The "typical" freshwaters rays in South America, while superficially similar to... ( +expand to view full text )

Description: Dasyatidae is a family of rays, cartilaginous marine fish, related to skates and sharks. Dasyatids are common in tropical coastal waters throughout the world, and there are freshwater species in Asia (Himantura sp.), Africa, and Florida (Dasyatis sabina). The "typical" freshwaters rays in South America, while superficially similar to stingrays, are members of another family, Potamotrygonidae. While most dasyatids are relatively widespread and unlikely to be threatened, there are several species (for example Taeniura meyeni, Dasyatis colarensis, D. garouaensis, and D. laosensis) where the conservation status is more problematic, leading to them being listed as vulnerable or endangered by IUCN. The status of several other species are poorly known, leading to them being listed as Data Deficient.