Niger stingray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Niger stingray |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Fontitrygon
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| Species: |
garouaensis
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| Synonyms | |
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The Niger stingray (Fontitrygon garouaensis) is also known as the smooth freshwater stingray. This type of stingray lives in rivers in Nigeria and Cameroon. It can grow to about 40 centimeters (16 inches) wide.
You can spot this stingray by its thin, almost round body. It has a slightly pointy snout. Its skin is mostly smooth, with very few or no small bumps called dermal denticles. The Niger stingray eats water insects. It gives birth to live young instead of laying eggs. Its tail has a long, sharp spine that can cause a painful sting.
Sadly, the Niger stingray is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means its numbers are dropping. It faces threats like too much fishing and its home rivers becoming polluted or damaged.
Contents
About the Niger Stingray
Scientists Alfred Stauch and M. Blanc first described the Niger stingray in 1962. They named it garouaensis after the city of Garoua in Cameroon. This is where the first example of the species was found.
Where They Live
The Niger stingray is one of only two types of freshwater stingrays in Africa. The other is the pincushion ray. You can find the Niger stingray in three main river systems. These are the Benue and lower Niger River, the lower Sanaga River, and the Cross River. All these rivers are in Nigeria and Cameroon. This stingray has only been found in fresh water.
What They Look Like
The Niger stingray has a body that is almost perfectly round. It is also very flat, flatter than other stingrays in its area. Its eyes stick out a bit, and it has small holes called spiracles behind them. Its mouth is small, and it has many tiny teeth. Males have sharp, pointed teeth, while females have blunt, oval teeth.
The tail of the Niger stingray is long and thin, like a whip. It is about twice as long as its body is wide. It has one or more stinging spines on its tail. The skin is usually smooth. Sometimes, it might have a few small bumps on its back. The stingray is plain brown or gray on top. Its belly is white, and the edges of its fins are bright white. The biggest Niger stingray found was about 40 centimeters (16 inches) wide.
Life and Diet
The Niger stingray has a special system to live in fresh water. It keeps some urea in its body, which helps it balance the water inside. This is similar to how some marine animals do it.
This stingray mostly eats young water insects. These include mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies. Sometimes, they might also eat other types of flies.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Niger stingrays give birth to live young. Females have one working ovary on their left side. Scientists believe these stingrays become adults around two years old. Males can live up to five years, and females can live up to seven years.
In the Benue River, a female stingray about 31.5 centimeters (12.4 inches) wide was still young. A male about 34.4 centimeters (13.5 inches) wide was an adult. In the Sanaga River, males become adults when they are less than 26.4 centimeters (10.4 inches) wide. Females become adults when they are between 26 and 30 centimeters (10 and 12 inches) wide.
Stingrays and People
The tail spine of the Niger stingray can hurt people wading in the water. The Hausa people call it kunaman ruwa, which means "water scorpion."
People sometimes catch this stingray by accident. They sell it fresh or smoked for food. In the past, it was common in the Niger-Benue river system. However, its numbers there are now going down. Droughts have also caused problems for this species.
A good number of these stingrays can still be found in the Sanaga River. But we don't know if their population there is growing or shrinking. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Niger stingray as Critically Endangered. This is because its numbers are clearly declining. Also, too much fishing and damage to its habitat are big threats. These problems are likely to get worse as more people live near these rivers.
