Appearance and lifestyle:
Blue stingrays (Dasyatis chrysonota) are brown with blue markings on their dorsal surface, and they also have a pointed snout.Like other rays, blue stingrays use electro-receptors, and they have highly developed senses of smell and touch to find molluscs, crustaceans, worms and small fishes, which they crush with flattened teeth.
They grow to 75cm and can weigh up to 25kg.
Habitat:
Found only in southern Africa from central Angola to St Lucia and possibly as far north as Maputo. Blue stingrays live inshore and are often caught in the surf zone along sandy beaches and estuaries. They are trawled at depths to 109m.
Diet:
They feed on molluscs, crustaceans, worms and small fishes.
Threats:
Pollution, climate change, overfishing etc. Their SASSI status: Orange.
Endemic to southern Africa.
Can reach 14 years old.
At 50cm females reach maturity.