Skin Stingrays can be easily identified by its greyish coloration and smooth skin (except for a row of rigid tubercles along the midline of the back). The coloration of a common stingray’s dorsal surface is typically varied from an olive to grey color with always a white under belly. These specific coloration is not only specific for the Common Stingray, but also represent a majority of the Stingray population. This key feature help provide Stingrays with very good camouflaging abilities and one of the main reasons in escaping predators. The colors that the Stingray embody allow them to bury themselves in the surface of the sand and move without being detected. The skin of the Common Stingray compose of scales called “Dermal Denticles”. These V-shaped scales give off the slippery feel of Stingrays decreasing drag and turbulence when gliding through water. Similarly to Sharks, this feature of their skin allows them to be stealthy hunters swimming faster and quieter. The only difference between the two is that sharks have more aligned dermal dencticles pointing towards the back of their body while stingrays have their scales much more spread apart with irregular patterns. Physical appearance The common stingray have flattened bodies composed of a diamond like disc pectoral fin. Trailing behind …show more content…
Unlike very many structures out there, similar to a Scorpion tail, the tails of common stingrays spew venomous mucous that make their tails so lethal and a method of self-defense. The stingray 's stinger is razor-sharp, barbed or serrated and attached to the stingray 's thin tail usually reaching 10 cm in length. Venom sacs are located at the tip of the tail and if threatened, can inject the tip into the predator inflicting a painful sting. This stingray stinger is also extremely agile and very flexible giving abilities to whip it’s stinger to pretty much anywhere with immense