Yellow stingray

How it lives

It lives in shallow inshore water on sand, mud, seagrass and around coral reefs, from the water's edge to about 25 m, and is often buried in the bottom. Young are born live. FishBase and the Florida Museum give litters of 3 to 4, while Wikipedia describes up to two litters of up to seven young a year after a gestation of 5 to 6 months, so figures differ. Males mature at a disc width of about 15 to 16 cm. FishBase estimates that a population would take more than 14 years to double.

Where it goes

The sources read describe it as a bottom-dwelling inshore resident and give no migration route. It is often found close to the shore and around sandy patches of reef.

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

Assessed as Least Concern worldwide in 2019. It lives in the western Atlantic from North Carolina to northern South America, including the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas and Caribbean. It is caught incidentally by inshore fisheries and collected for the aquarium trade. The Florida Museum also lists bycatch and habitat loss as threats. No regional population counts were found in the sources read.