All fish / Dasyatidae

Bluntnose Stingray

Hypanus say

Also known as bluntnose stingray, say's stingray, say stingray, dasyatis say, blunt nose stingray, blunt-nose ray

A rhomboid, flat-bodied whiptail stingray with a bluntly rounded snout, plain olive to reddish brown upper surface and a long tail carrying a venomous spine. It is kept mainly by public aquariums and dedicated hobbyists with huge tanks for its graceful gliding and habit of burying in sand.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

75 cm

Temperature

20 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

4000 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a pair in very large systems

Diet

Carnivore: shrimp, clams, squid, crabs, worms and fish pieces

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: Massachusetts to Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, south to Brazil and Argentina

Breeding

It is aplacental viviparous, giving birth to a small litter of fully formed pups after a gestation of several months. Captive births happen in public aquariums but are rare in home systems because of the space needed.

Good to know

The tail spine causes painful, sometimes serious stings, so handle with great care, and the disc can exceed 1 m wide in the wild, demanding an enormous tank with a deep soft sand bed. It will eat small fish and invertebrates and needs excellent water quality.