Sandyback stingaree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sandyback stingaree |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Urolophidae
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| Genus: |
Urolophus
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U. bucculentus
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| Binomial name | |
| Urolophus bucculentus Macleay, 1884
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The sandyback stingaree (Urolophus bucculentus) is a type of stingray that lives in the ocean. It's also called the great stingaree. This ray is found only in southeastern Australia. It usually lives far from the coast, near the edge of the continental shelf. You can find it in waters that are about 65 to 265 meters (213 to 869 feet) deep.
This stingaree is quite large for its kind, growing up to 89 centimeters (35 inches) long. It has a flat, diamond-shaped body that is wider than it is long. Its back is usually yellowish or brownish with many small, lighter marks. The sandyback stingaree has a short tail with a deep, leaf-shaped fin at the end. It also has a stinging spine on its tail, with a fin just in front of it.
The sandyback stingaree is a bottom-dwelling predator. This means it lives on the seafloor and hunts other animals. It mostly eats crustaceans, like crabs and shrimp. Female stingarees give birth to live young, usually one to five pups every two years. They feed their babies inside their bodies with a special "uterine milk." The babies grow for 14 to 19 months before they are born.
Sadly, many sandyback stingarees are caught by accident by fishing boats. This is called bycatch. Because of this, the number of these stingarees has gone down a lot, especially off New South Wales. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says the sandyback stingaree is a Vulnerable animal. This means it is at risk of becoming endangered if we don't protect it.
Contents
What is a Sandyback Stingaree?
The sandyback stingaree was first described by an Australian naturalist named William John Macleay. He wrote about it in 1884, after studying specimens found near Port Jackson in New South Wales. This stingaree is part of the Urolophus group of rays. It is closely related to the patchwork stingaree and the butterfly stingaree.
Where Do They Live?
The sandyback stingaree lives in different spots off southeastern Australia. You can find them from Beachport in South Australia all the way to Tasmania and Stradbroke Island off Queensland.
These rays prefer to live on the seafloor where there is fine sand or mud. They usually stay on the outer part of the continental shelf and the upper continental slope. They rarely come close to the shore. They have been found in depths ranging from 65 to 265 meters (213 to 869 feet).
What Do They Look Like?
The sandyback stingaree has a body shaped like a diamond. Its body, called a disc, is wider than it is long. The outer corners are rounded, and the front edges are almost straight. Its snout is a bit fleshy and sticks out slightly.
It has small eyes, and right behind them are comma-shaped openings called spiracles. These help the ray breathe. The mouth is quite large and has small teeth. Inside the mouth, there are small, nipple-like bumps called papillae. It also has five pairs of short gill slits. The pelvic fins are small and rounded.
The tail of the sandyback stingaree is short, about 62–73% as long as its body disc. It is quite flat and has a skin fold along each side. On the top of the tail, there is a serrated stinging spine. Just in front of this spine, there is a fairly large dorsal fin. The caudal fin (tail fin) is short, deep, and shaped like a spearhead.
The skin of this ray is smooth, without any rough dermal denticles (like tiny teeth on shark skin). The top of the ray is yellowish to brownish. Many stingarees have small pale spots or net-like patterns. Young stingarees have darker dorsal and caudal fins, while adults might have mottled fins. The underside of the ray is plain white. Some individuals have black blotches under their tail. This species is the largest of its family in southern Australia, growing up to 89 centimeters (35 inches) long.
Life Cycle and Behavior
The sandyback stingaree is like the cool-water version of the tropical patchwork stingaree. It mainly eats crustaceans, such as crabs and shrimp, which it finds on the seafloor.
Interestingly, female stingarees have been known to use their stings to ward off unwanted male suitors. One ray was even found with a broken sting embedded in its back, likely from a past encounter!
The sandyback stingaree reproduces in a special way called aplacental viviparous. This means the mother carries her young inside her body, but they don't have a placenta like humans do. Instead, the developing embryos are fed by a special "uterine milk" produced by the mother.
Females give birth to litters of 1 to 5 pups every two years. The gestation period (how long the babies grow inside the mother) lasts between 14 and 19 months. When they are born, the baby rays are about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) long. Males become ready to have babies when they are about 40 centimeters (16 inches) long. Females are ready when they are about 50 centimeters (20 inches) long. Because they grow to be so large, it suggests they grow quite slowly. A known parasite that lives on this species is a type of worm called Calicotyle urolophi.
How Humans Interact with Them
The sandyback stingaree is often caught by accident in fishing nets. This happens a lot in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) off New South Wales. They might also be caught by other fishing boats in the area. Fewer are caught in the Bass Strait and off western Tasmania.
Even though these rays are edible, they are not usually sold in markets. Fishermen might not like catching them because their sting makes them hard to handle. Studies have shown that the number of stingarees caught off New South Wales dropped by over 65% between 1976 and 1997. Since fishing is still very active in this area, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the sandyback stingaree as Vulnerable. This means they need protection. A plan called the Australian National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, created in 2004, could help protect this species.
Images for kids
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A sandyback stingaree swimming.
See also
In Spanish: Urolophus bucculentus para niños
