Rays

Blue-spotted stingray

Neotrygon kuhlii complex

Watch the sand for a maskray with electric-blue spots and a slender whip tail. Give it space, because it uses its venomous barb if it is stepped on.

Varies by speciesIn 15 Atlas countries

Varies by species: the old Neotrygon kuhlii is Data Deficient, the Australian species is Near Threatened, and most others in the group are Least Concern. The species around Lombok and the Gili Islands is not confirmed.

Blue-spotted maskray resting on a sandy seabed beside a shell — Photo: OLIVER SCHWANEBERG on Unsplash

Blue-spotted maskray resting on dark volcanic sand — Photo: Dan Schofield, iNaturalist, CC BY

Blue-spotted maskray lying on the seabed — Photo: Bernard DUPONT, iNaturalist, CC BY

Blue-spotted maskray resting on sand — Photo: Bernard DUPONT, iNaturalist, CC BY

Blue-spotted maskray on a sandy seabed — Photo: Pauline Walsh Jacobson, iNaturalist, CC BY

Blue-spotted maskray close up on the sea floor — Photo: Dan Schofield, iNaturalist, CC BY

Blue-spotted maskray swimming over rubble — Photo: Pierre Pericard, iNaturalist, CC BY

Blue-spotted maskray lying on dark sand — Photo: Justin Philbois, iNaturalist, CC0

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Size differs between the related species and typical size is not well measured. Largest disc widths about 45 to 47 cm (18 in) in some forms; up to about 70 cm (2.3 ft) long including the tail

Weight

Not reliably measured

Next to a person

Disc about as wide as a dinner plate to a small laptop; with its slender whip tail, often about knee height on an adult

What it eats

Mostly crabs and shrimps from the sand beside reefs, and sometimes small fishes.

Around people

Potentially dangerous, respect

How it lives

This ray usually lives alone on sandy bottoms next to reefs. At high tide it moves onto reef flats and into shallow lagoons. It feeds on crabs and shrimps, and it sometimes covers itself with sand so that only its eyes and tail show. Females give birth to live pups, usually 1 to 3 at a time in Australian studies.

Where it goes

At high tide, this ray moves from sandy bottoms beside the reef onto the reef flats and into shallow lagoons. No long-distance migration has been published.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

What was once called one species is now known to be several closely related species, split from 2016 onwards and living in different parts of the Indo-Pacific. The correct name for the rays around Lombok and the Gili Islands is not yet settled.

Meet it respectfully

Its tail has a venomous spine that causes painful wounds. Never touch, grab, chase or feed it, and do not block its way. Hover well above the sand, as it may be partly buried. When wading, shuffle your feet. Let it choose the distance.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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