Common
Names:
Cowtail stingray, Feathertail stingray
Latin
Name: Pastinachus sephen
Family:
Dasyatidae
Identification:
Rhomboid
disc. Posterior margins of disc mildly convex. Anterior margin almost straight.
Dorsum brown to black.
Tail less than 2 times body length with broad, long ventral finfold.
Size:
Max
disc width 180cm
Habitat:
Estuarine environments and Sandy
bottoms sometimes adjacent to
reefs from intertidal areas to approx. 50m. Also enters fresh water environments
and has been recorded 1000 miles up the Ganges River.
Abundance
and distribution:
Widespread throughout the
Indo Pacific from South Africa and the
Red Sea
to
Japan
and south to
Australia
and
western Pacific.
Behavior:
Moves onto tidal flats in search of prey. often ascends
rivers. Feeds on bony fishes, snails, bivalves, and sea squirts.
Reproduction:
Ovoviviparous
Observations:
Photographs:
Exmouth Navy Pier, W.A.
Similar species:
Reaction to divers: Apparently
curious. May buzz divers quite closely. Not prone to flight when approached.
Diving
logistics: Cowtail stingrays
are
present over a large area accessible to divers but I am not aware of any area
where they can be reliably seen.
Other diving locations submitted by
readers:
Further
reading:
Reef
Sharks and Rays of the World. Scott W. Michael. Sea Challengers.
Sharks
and Rays - Elasmobranch Guide of the World. Ralf M. Hennemann. IKAN.
