Fun Facts About Stingrays for Kids
- spencer655
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
Stingrays are some of the most fascinating creatures in the ocean! With their flat, pancake-shaped bodies and mysterious ways of gliding through the water, stingrays are full of surprises. Enjoy these stingray facts, common questions, and fun facts.
What Is a Stingray?
Stingrays are a type of fish related to sharks. They have flat bodies, long tails, and wide fins that look like wings. Most stingrays live in warm, shallow parts of the ocean, but some can be found in rivers and lakes too!
Flat and Flexible: Stingrays’ bodies are designed to help them hide on the ocean floor.
Venomous Tail: Many stingrays have a sharp, barbed stinger on their tail for protection.
Cartilage Skeleton: Like sharks, stingrays don’t have bones. Their skeletons are made of cartilage (the same stuff in your nose and ears).
How Do Stingrays Protect Themselves?
Stingrays are not aggressive, but they do have a special way to defend themselves if they feel threatened.
If threatened, a stingray may reflexively lash its tail, using its stinger for defense.
The stinger can deliver a painful (but rarely deadly) sting. That’s why it’s important to shuffle your feet when walking in shallow water where stingrays might be hiding!
What Do Stingrays Eat?
Stingrays are bottom feeders, which means they eat food they find on the ocean floor. Their favorite snacks include:
Small fish
Shrimp
Crabs
Clams and oysters
Worms
Stingrays have special mouths on the underside of their bodies. They use their strong jaws to crush the shells of their prey.
How Do Stingrays Swim?
Stingrays move by flapping their wide fins like wings. This lets them glide smoothly through the water, almost like they’re flying!
"A group of stingrays swimming together is called a fever."
Some stingrays can even leap out of the water—talk about a splashy surprise!
Are Stingrays Dangerous to Humans?
Stingrays are usually gentle and shy. They only sting if they feel threatened or stepped on by accident. Most people who get stung are walking in shallow water and don’t see the stingray hiding under the sand.
Always shuffle your feet when wading in the ocean to avoid surprising a stingray.
If you see a stingray, give it plenty of space and watch it glide away!
Common Questions About Stingrays
Do stingrays have teeth?
Stingrays don’t have teeth like humans, but they do have strong, flat plates in their mouths to crush food.
How long do stingrays live?
Most stingrays live between 10 and 25 years, depending on the species.
Can stingrays jump out of the water?
Yes! Some stingrays can leap several feet out of the water. Scientists think they do this to escape predators or communicate with other stingrays.
7 More Fun Facts About Stingrays
There are over 200 different species of stingrays.
Stingrays can be as small as a pancake or as wide as a car!
They have eyes on top of their heads, but their mouths are underneath.
Stingrays breathe through holes called spiracles, located just behind their eyes.
Some stingrays can change color to blend in with the ocean floor (camouflage).
Baby stingrays are called pups.
Stingrays are closely related to sharks, but they’re much more peaceful!
Stingrays are amazing animals that help keep the ocean healthy. Next time you visit an aquarium or the beach, see if you can spot one gliding along the sand. Just remember to watch your step—and enjoy the show!
