Common Stingray - Dasyatis pastinaca - Resting on the Sandy Seabed

A Common Stingray rests on a sandy Mediterranean seabed, clearly showing its broad disc and exceptionally long whip-like tail.

The Common Stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca) has a broad, rhomboid disc that is slightly wider than long, with a moderately pointed snout and a very long, slender whip-like tail. Its upper surface is generally greyish-green, olive or greenish-brown, while the underside is pale. The tail carries one or more barbed venomous spines used for defence. This bottom-dwelling ray favours sandy and muddy seabeds, shallow bays and coastal areas, although it may also occur near rocky reefs. It feeds mainly on bottom-living fishes, crustaceans and molluscs and is recorded from depths of about 5 to 200 metres throughout the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic.