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TAHITIAN STINGRAY

Tahitian Stingray

Photograph copyright Andy Murch

View all available Tahitian Stingray Pictures in the Shark Pictures Database

Common Names: Tahitian stingray, pink whiptail stingray, smalleye stingray.

Latin Name: Himantura fai.

Family: Dasyatidae.

Identification: Rhomboid disc, Snout bluntly pointed. Anterior margins of disc almost straight. Eyes small. Tail thin and whip-like; 3 times disc length when intact. Single functional sting present on tail. Smooth dorsum uniformly pinkish brown or tan. Ventrum pale.

Size: Maximum disc width about 100cm.

Habitat: Intertidal to at least 200m on sandy bottoms often adjacent to reefs.

Abundance and distribution: French Polynesia, Micronesia, Northern Australia to Thailand and westward to India.

Diet: Crustaceans and probably small fishes. The Tahitian stingray may have a preference for shrimp as it is often captured by shrimp trawlers.

Behavior: Rests on sand for much of the day. Occasionally forms large feeding aggregations at night.

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous.

Photographs: Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia.

Similar species: The sharpnose stingray Himantura gerrardi has the same (sympatric) range as the Tahitian stingray. Its can be distinguished by its more sharply pointed snout and banded tail. Tail bands may fade in adults. May also be confused with the Jenkins whiptail stingray Himantura jenkinsii which has a line of enlarged denticles along its midline and some blotching on its disc.

Reaction to divers: Moves away when closely disturbed.

Diving logistics: The Tahitian Stingray is can be seen in shallow bays in the atolls and islands of French Polynesia. There are organized Tahitian stingray encounters (stingray feeds) in Moorea and Bora Bora. These feeds also attract lemon sharks and Indo-Pacific blacktip sharks.

Other diving locations submitted by readers:

Other names for the Tahitian stingray:

費氏窄尾魟 China Main Mandarin Chinese

费氏窄尾魟 China Main Mandarin Chinese

Kraban hin Thailand Thai

Lila pijlstaartrog Netherlands Dutch

Pari Malaysia Malay Indonesia

Trnucha růová Czech Rep Czech

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