Mangrove Trail #15 Smooth Stringray Traditional Cache

Time to pack the Kayak, Sunscreen, Insect repellent, plenty of water and enjoy day on the water Kayaking along the Port River Mangroves enjoying the sights and sounds and smells, This trail will take you towards St Kilda looping back and ending back close to the beginning, with luck you will see the Fish and Animals mentioned in the series, each listing will cover information on the Mangroves and different animals that live in or can be found around the Mangroves.

The Smooth Stingray is the largest of all Australian stingrays 

Standard Common Name

Smooth Stingray

Identification

The Smooth Stingray usually has irregular rows of small white spots on the upper surface beside the head and no thorn-like denticles along the dorsal midline of the disc. It has a relatively short tail, less than 1.2 times the disc length. This gives the fish its species name, brevicaudata, which comes from the Latin brevis, meaning 'short', and cauda meaning 'tail'.

Size range

The Smooth Stingray is the largest of all Australian stingrays. It grows to 4.3 m in length, 2 m disc width and a weight of 350 kg.

Similar Species

The species looks very similar to the Black Stingray. They are both dark above, pale below and have a whip-like tail. The Black Stingray lacks white spots but does have thorn-like denticles along the dorsal midline of the disc.

Distribution

The Smooth Stingray occurs in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In Australia it is known from southern Queensland, around the south of the country and north to the central coast of Western Australia.