Sharpnose stingray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sharpnose stingray |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Family: | Dasyatidae |
| Genus: | Telatrygon |
| Species: |
T. acutirostra
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| Binomial name | |
| Telatrygon acutirostra K. Nishida & Nakaya, 1988
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| Synonyms | |
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The sharpnose stingray (Telatrygon acutirostra) is a type of stingray. It lives in the ocean near southern Japan and in the East China Sea. This ray is not very well known.
It has a round body and a long, pointed snout. The sharpnose stingray looks a lot like another ray called the pale-edged stingray. But you can tell them apart! The sharpnose stingray has bigger eyes. It also does not have a special fold of skin on its tail. Scientists are worried about this ray. Its home area is small, so it could be easily affected by too much fishing.
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About the Sharpnose Stingray's Name
Before it got its official name, people often mixed up the sharpnose stingray with another ray. This happened for a long time.
In 1988, two scientists, Kiyonori Nishida and Kazuhiro Nakaya, studied these rays. They wrote about the sharpnose stingray in a science journal. They gave it the name acutirostra. This name comes from two Latin words. Acuti means "sharp" and rostra means "snout".
The first sharpnose stingray that scientists studied closely was an adult male. It was about 72.5 centimeters (28.5 inches) wide. It was caught by a fishing net in the East China Sea.
Where Sharpnose Stingrays Live
You can find the sharpnose stingray in the waters near southern Japan. It also lives in the East China Sea. These rays usually live in water that is 53 to 142 meters (174 to 466 feet) deep.
There might even be some sharpnose stingrays far away in the Gulf of Guayaquil near Ecuador. Like most other stingrays, this species lives on the bottom of the ocean.
What the Sharpnose Stingray Looks Like
The body of the sharpnose stingray is almost as wide as it is long. Its sides are rounded. The front edges of its body curve inward and then join a long, pointed snout.
Its eyes are small, and behind them are larger holes called spiracles. It has a flap of skin between its nostrils. The mouth is slightly curved. It does not have small bumps (papillae) on the floor of its mouth.
This ray has many rows of teeth, like a pavement. Adult male rays have pointed teeth. Young rays and females have flatter teeth. The fins on its belly are wide and shaped like triangles.
The tail is long and thin, like a whip. It is longer than the ray's body. On top of the tail, there are one or two stinging spines. Behind the spine, the tail has a small ridge on top and a low fold underneath.
There is a line of about 30 bumps along the middle of its back. Another line of 16 bumps is in front of the spine. The tail behind the spine is covered in tiny, rough scales. The ray is light brown on top and white underneath.
The biggest sharpnose stingray found was about 72.5 centimeters (28.5 inches) wide. You can tell this ray apart from the similar pale-edged stingray because it has bigger eyes. It also does not have a dorsal fin fold on its tail. Plus, it grows larger before it becomes an adult.
Life and Habits of the Sharpnose Stingray
Scientists do not know much about the daily life of the sharpnose stingray. One young male ray was 35.4 centimeters (13.9 inches) wide and not yet an adult. Another male, 72.5 centimeters (28.5 inches) wide, was an adult.
Like other stingrays, it probably gives birth to live young. The babies grow inside the mother without a placenta.
Sharpnose Stingrays and People
Sharpnose stingrays are likely caught by fishing boats. These boats use large nets that drag along the bottom of the ocean. This happens near Japan and in other places. However, we do not have exact numbers on how many are caught.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says this species is "Near Threatened". This means it could become endangered if fishing increases. Since it lives in a small area, it is very sensitive to changes in fishing.
 | Bayard Rustin |
 | Jeannette Carter |
 | Jeremiah A. Brown |
