Rays

Round stingray

Taeniurops grabatus

A dark, almost circular ray resting under a ledge or half buried in sand. It is often calm, but no sighting is ever a promise.

Near ThreatenedIn 7 Atlas countries

Near Threatened (IUCN, 2021) means it is close to qualifying as threatened, or may qualify soon. Heavy fishing in parts of its range is the main concern.

Round stingray resting on a rocky reef off La Palma, Canary Islands — Photo: Donald Davesne, iNaturalist, CC BY

Round stingray tucked into a gap between rocks off Madeira, tail trailing — Photo: Charlotte Kirchner, iNaturalist, CC BY

Round stingray lying on the seabed beside rocks off Tenerife, seen from the front — Photo: Daniel Benák, iNaturalist, CC BY

Round stingray seen from above over a rocky bottom off Tenerife, tail trailing — Photo: Michael Bommerer, iNaturalist, CC BY

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

Length

Disc width typically up to about 1 m (3.3 ft). Total length is typically up to about 1.5 m (4.9 ft). Reports of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) exist, but one source thinks these may be misidentifications.

Weight

Up to about 84 kg (185 lb) published by FishBase. Wikipedia gives up to 150 kg (330 lb), so sources differ.

Next to a person

A large adult's disc is about 1 m across, a little over half the height of an adult person.

What it eats

Bottom-living fishes and crustaceans.

Around people

Calm, give space

How it lives

By day it is often found partly buried in sand or sediment, under ledges, or lying in open spaces between reefs. It moves away only if closely disturbed. It lives on sand, mud and rock-sand on the coastal shelf, from about 10 to 300 m. Young are born live: the embryos are fed first by yolk, then by the mother through special uterine structures. Litter size is not known. Cleaner shrimp have been recorded removing parasites from it.

Where it goes

Described as sedentary, resting under ledges and in caves by day. The sources I read do not describe longer movements.

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

Near Threatened (IUCN, 2021), with no population trend given. It occurs in the eastern Atlantic from Mauritania to Angola, including the Canary Islands, Madeira and Cape Verde, and in the southern Mediterranean from Tunisia to Egypt. It is caught in bottom trawls and trammel nets and eaten in some regions, though it remains common in some places. No specific data on how fishing affects its numbers were found.

Meet it respectfully

This ray is usually docile, but it has a venomous spine. Keep your distance, never touch, chase, feed or bait it, and do not hover over a resting animal or corner it in a cave. Look before you put hands or knees on sand, where it may be buried. I did not read local rules for this species, so follow your guide and local regulations.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Sources for this page

Facts checked 5 October 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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