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Many fish have bodies shaped like a cylinder with tapered ends. At one end is the fish’s head. At the other end is its tail fin. Not so for stingrays.
Stingrays are fish like goldfish and guppies. But they’re different in almost every way. A stingray’s body is flat. It looks almost like a pancake with a long, thin tail. All of the more than 200 different kinds of stingrays live in warm, shallow water. You can find them in oceans, lakes, and rivers.
◀ Stingrays get their unusual looks from fins that are as long as their body. And from having cartilage instead of bones. Cartilage is the material your outer ear is made of. Stingrays’ mouth, nostrils, and gills are on the underside of their body. The largest stingrays may be up to eight feet across. They may weigh more than 700 pounds!
A stingray’s tail may be from 10 inches to 7 feet long. The tail is muscular. It can whip upward and from side to side. This means the stingray feels threatened. The tail of some stingrays is lined with sharp barbs shaped like arrowheads. Each barb can deliver a powerful poison. ▶
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▲ Stingrays move in different ways. Some use a smooth, undulating motion. Their body rises and falls like a wave. Others move by flapping their fins similar to the way birds move their wings. The motion pushes them forward. They may use their tail for steering.
▲ Most fish have a swim bladder. This is a sac that takes in air. It helps fish to stay near the surface of the water. Stingrays don’t. Instead, they spend most of their time near or on the bottom. When resting, they may bury themselves in the sand. Only their tail sticks out.
Many stingrays have teeth strong enough to crush the shells of their favorite foods. These include oysters, clams, and mussels.
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How are stingrays and sharks alike?
You might be surprised to know that stingrays and sharks are similar. Both have cartilage instead of bones. Both have five, six, or seven gill slits. Both have tiny, V-shaped scales made of tooth-like material covering their body. And both have body parts that can detect electrical signals.
