Stingrays are cartilaginous fish like sharks, skates, and guitarfish. The spend most of their day lying on the seafloor, with their eyes and spiracles, which are openings for breathing, on top of their heads, and they like to eat small fish, clams, crabs, marine worms, shrimp, and isopods.
IMAGE FROM CSULB SHARK LAB
Most stingrays have a barb which has specialized cells designed to inject venom. Sting rays spine lengths are different depending on the species.
IMAGE FROM NATUREPL.COM
To not get stung by a stingray, shuffle your feet on the seafloor to alert the stingray so it can run away somewhere else. If you are stung however, tell a lifeguard right away and they will get you some hot water to put the stung body part in. The round stingray is the most common species of stingray in California, and can live about 14 years, and like to eat bivalves and crustaceans.
IMAGE FROM aquariumofpacific.org
Another common species is the bat ray, and you can read more about it in my other blog post called Animals in My Neighborhood
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