Diamond Ray
Dasyatis dipterura
Diamond rays are a large stingray found in cold water habitats like kelp forests. They have a long tail and a protective spine at its base. They use their flat teeth to crush up hard shelled prey. This ray is vulnerable to being caught in gill nets.
SPECIES IN DETAIL
Diamond Ray
Dasyatis dipterura
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable
CLIMATE CHANGE:
Geographic Distribution
Found in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean from southern California to northern Chile.
Habitat
Diamond rays are demersal (live or feed near the bottom) usually found in shallow coastal waters with a depth range of 3 to 30m (10 - 100 ft). They are found in sandy or muddy habitats near rocky reefs or kelp forests.
Physical Characteristics
The diamond ray gets about 1 m (3.3 ft) wide, with females growing larger than males. Their fins are slightly wider than they are long. They have large eyes and a blunt snout. Their teeth are small and flat and allow them to grind up their food. The diamond stingray’s whip-like tail measures up to one and a half times their body with a long, serrated spine at its base. Their coloration ranges from a uniform olive to brown to gray on top, darkening to black on the tail, and an off-white belly. Usually no larger than 1m (3.3ft. across); weight up to 46 kg (101.2 lbs.)
While the stingray’s eyes peer out from its dorsal side, its mouth, nostrils, and gill slits are situated on its underbelly.
Size
Usually no larger than 1m (3.3ft. across); weight up to 46 kg (101.2 lbs.)
Diet
The diamond stingray feeds mainly on burrowing invertebrates and small bony fishes. Diamond rays hunt their prey by swimming close to the sea floor and landing on top of them. They move their body in an up and down motion to extract their prey from under the sand. They have also been known to spit jets of water to uncover prey. Their flat teeth allow them to crush up hard shelled prey.
Reproduction
Diamond rays give birth through aplacental viviparity, which means the pups are born live but are nourished by a yolk sac instead of a placenta. They typically have a litter of 1-4 pups with a gestation of about 3 months.
Mating typically occurs in the late summer and several bays along the Pacific coast of Baja California serve as nurseries.
Behavior
Diamond rays are often found in larger groups of up to hundreds of rays.
Adaptation
The stingray’s coloration commonly reflects the seafloor’s shading, camouflaging it from predatory sharks and larger rays.
Like it’s shark relatives, the stingray has electrical sensors called Ampullae of Lorenzini. These organs, located around the stingray’s mouth, sense the natural electrical charges of potential prey. Diamond Rays have flat teeth to enable them to crush mollusks such as clams, oysters, and mussels.
The stingray’s spine, or barb, has serrated edges and a sharp point, which helps protect it from predators.
Longevity
The average lifespan in the wild is 15 to 25 years.
Conservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that the diamond ray’s conservation status as vulnerable.
This species is caught for consumption directly or as bycatch in gillnets which is thought to have led to a significant decrease in population.
The diamond stingray’s low reproductive rate may also make it more susceptible to population decline. Males reach sexual maturity at about 7 years of age and females at 10 years old.
There are currently no management strategies in place for this species.
Special Notes
Diamond rays have powerful jaws and molar-like teeth that allow them to crush hard-shelled prey: mollusks such as clams, oysters, and mussels.
A distinguishing trait of the Diamond Stingray is the fin folds both above and below the tail.
While in the surf line, shuffle your feet - avoid stepping on the ray’s back! The stingrays will feel the vibrations and move away from you.
SPECIES IN DETAIL | Print full entry
Diamond Ray
Dasyatis dipterura
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable
CLIMATE CHANGE:
Found in the coastal waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean from southern California to northern Chile.
Diamond rays are demersal (live or feed near the bottom) usually found in shallow coastal waters with a depth range of 3 to 30m (10 - 100 ft). They are found in sandy or muddy habitats near rocky reefs or kelp forests.
The diamond ray gets about 1 m (3.3 ft) wide, with females growing larger than males. Their fins are slightly wider than they are long. They have large eyes and a blunt snout. Their teeth are small and flat and allow them to grind up their food. The diamond stingray’s whip-like tail measures up to one and a half times their body with a long, serrated spine at its base. Their coloration ranges from a uniform olive to brown to gray on top, darkening to black on the tail, and an off-white belly. Usually no larger than 1m (3.3ft. across); weight up to 46 kg (101.2 lbs.)
While the stingray’s eyes peer out from its dorsal side, its mouth, nostrils, and gill slits are situated on its underbelly.
Usually no larger than 1m (3.3ft. across); weight up to 46 kg (101.2 lbs.)
The diamond stingray feeds mainly on burrowing invertebrates and small bony fishes. Diamond rays hunt their prey by swimming close to the sea floor and landing on top of them. They move their body in an up and down motion to extract their prey from under the sand. They have also been known to spit jets of water to uncover prey. Their flat teeth allow them to crush up hard shelled prey.
Diamond rays give birth through aplacental viviparity, which means the pups are born live but are nourished by a yolk sac instead of a placenta. They typically have a litter of 1-4 pups with a gestation of about 3 months.
Mating typically occurs in the late summer and several bays along the Pacific coast of Baja California serve as nurseries.
Diamond rays are often found in larger groups of up to hundreds of rays.
The stingray’s coloration commonly reflects the seafloor’s shading, camouflaging it from predatory sharks and larger rays.
Like it’s shark relatives, the stingray has electrical sensors called Ampullae of Lorenzini. These organs, located around the stingray’s mouth, sense the natural electrical charges of potential prey. Diamond Rays have flat teeth to enable them to crush mollusks such as clams, oysters, and mussels.
The stingray’s spine, or barb, has serrated edges and a sharp point, which helps protect it from predators.
The average lifespan in the wild is 15 to 25 years.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that the diamond ray’s conservation status as vulnerable.
This species is caught for consumption directly or as bycatch in gillnets which is thought to have led to a significant decrease in population.
The diamond stingray’s low reproductive rate may also make it more susceptible to population decline. Males reach sexual maturity at about 7 years of age and females at 10 years old.
There are currently no management strategies in place for this species.
Diamond rays have powerful jaws and molar-like teeth that allow them to crush hard-shelled prey: mollusks such as clams, oysters, and mussels.
A distinguishing trait of the Diamond Stingray is the fin folds both above and below the tail.
While in the surf line, shuffle your feet - avoid stepping on the ray’s back! The stingrays will feel the vibrations and move away from you.