Colares stingray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colares stingray |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Fontitrygon
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| Species: |
colarensis
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| Synonyms | |
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Dasyatis colarensis |
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The Colares stingray (scientific name: Fontitrygon colarensis) is a type of stingray. It lives in the shallow, slightly salty waters where the Amazon River meets the ocean in northern Brazil. This special ray stays in bays during the dry season. When the rainy season comes, it moves further out from the coast.
You can spot a Colares stingray by its diamond-shaped body and long nose. It also has a dark stripe on its lower lip. These stingrays can grow quite large. Males can be about 63 cm (25 in) wide, and females can reach 91 cm (36 in) wide. Female Colares stingrays usually give birth to 1 to 4 babies each year.
Sadly, the Colares stingray is in danger. People catch them for food, and they also get caught by accident in fishing nets. Because they live in a small area and don't have many babies, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says they are critically endangered. This means they are at a very high risk of disappearing forever.
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Discovering the Colares Stingray
The Colares stingray was officially named and described in 2004. Three scientists, Hugo Santos, Ulisses Gomes, and Patricia Charvet-Almeida, wrote about it in a science magazine called Zootaxa.
The stingray got its name, colarensis, from Colares Island. This island is in Marajó Bay, which is where the first official sample of the stingray was found. That first stingray was a grown-up male, about 2.07 m (6.8 ft) long.
Where They Live and Travel
The Colares stingray seems to live only near the mouth of the Amazon River in northern Brazil. This is an estuary area, where the river's fresh water mixes with the ocean's salt water. It might also be found in nearby areas, possibly even as far as Venezuela.
These stingrays live in water up to 6 m (20 ft) deep. They move around each year depending on how salty the water is. During the dry season, they stay in coastal bays like Marajó Bay. But when the rainy season arrives, they leave the bays and move further out into the ocean.
What Colares Stingrays Look Like
The Colares stingray has a body shaped like a diamond. It's about as long as it is wide. Its edges are rounded, and its nose is long and pointy. Female stingrays have a slightly shorter nose than males.
Their eyes are small, and behind them are two large holes called spiracles. These help them breathe. They have a special skin flap between their nostrils that has a fringed edge. The lower lip is curved and has a clear, dark line.
Their teeth are different for males and females. Males have pointy, curved teeth. Females have flat-topped teeth. This difference helps them eat different things or in different ways.
Inside their mouth, they have small bumps called papillae. Their pelvic fins are shaped like triangles and stick out past their body. The tail is long and thin, like a whip. It's more than twice as long as their body. On top of the tail, they have a stinging spine. This spine has many small teeth-like parts.
The stingray's skin has small, flat bumps called tubercles. These are spread out along their back, from their tail to between their eyes. Females also have these bumps on their underside.
Their top side is light brown, but it gets darker on the tail. The underside is pale, getting darker near the edges of their fins. Males can grow to be about 2.07 m (6.8 ft) long and 63 cm (25 in) wide. Females are even bigger, reaching up to 2.61 m (8.6 ft) long and 91 cm (36 in) wide.
Life and Habits
Like other stingrays, the Colares stingray gives birth to live young. The babies grow inside the mother without a placenta, getting their food from a yolk sac. Scientists have noticed that only pregnant females are found close to shore. This suggests that their yearly movements might be linked to where they have their babies.
When they give birth, a female Colares stingray usually has 1 to 4 babies. It's thought that they might have babies once every year.
Why They Need Our Help
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Colares stingray as critically endangered. This is because they live in a very small area. They also don't have many babies, which makes it hard for their numbers to grow. Plus, they are easily caught by fishing gear.
These stingrays are quite common in Marajó Bay during the dry season. They are often caught by accident by local and commercial fishing boats. These boats are usually trying to catch catfish in the Amazon estuary.
In the 2000s, large fishing boats from the Brazilian state of Pará started fishing directly for these stingrays. The stingrays they caught were then sent to Europe. To help save the Colares stingray, the IUCN has suggested that Brazil should create plans to protect their habitat and manage fishing better.
