Sting Rays are just one of the amazing creatures you may encounter while snorkeling in the Riviera Maya aboard our catamaran tours. They are called southern sting rays, and here are some fun facts about these interesting fellows.
Sting rays may not look like any type of fish you know, but in fact they are related to the shark. They do not have bones but cartilage.
Their skins are so smooth, they almost feel like velvet. and there are about around 70 species of stingrays in the world.
Sting rays are commonly found in tropical and subtropical coastal ocean waters.
Sting rays eyes are on top of their bodies, yet their mouth, gills, and nostrils are on the underside. Because of this stingrays cannot see their prey, instead they use smell and electroreceptor’s to find food.
Sting rays mainly feed on molluscs, crustaceans such as crabs, and small fish. They suck in their food and then chomp on it chewing like a human does before swallowing.
Mature southern stingrays have been known to reach sizes of nearly five feet wide and some can be up to 14 feet long.
Most mature at about 4 or 5 years of age and can live as long as 15 to 20 years.
These ladies had a ray swim right past them when we sailed them to Cozumel.
One of the most important things while snorkeling is to respect and not touch, harm or chase any of the sea life you encounter.
Most varieties of stingrays have one or more barbed venomous stingers on their tail,. While this may sound dangerous there is no need to be afraid. The ray only uses their tails when they feel threatened and they’re only used in self-defense.
Sting rays flat bodies allow them to dig in and hide from predators on the sandy ocean bottom. Shuffling your feet along a sandy shallow sea floor is the best way to avoid stepping on a stingray and potentially getting stung.
Sting rays are very non aggressive. They can be found swimming alone or in groups.
Our snorkel guides are trained to take you on underwater snorkeling adventures that protect you and the wild life you encounter. Come on and out and learn more fun facts about the super cool creatures on our snorkel sailing adventures.
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