Blue-Spotted Stingray

The Neotrygon Kuhlii, or Blue Spotted Stingray, belongs to the dasyatidae family that is commonly found in the major waters of Asia, in some parts of Africa (Madagascar) and in the northern waters of Australia.  As their name goes, they posses blue spots all over their green bodies. It is first discovered in Java, Indonesia by Heinrich Kuhl. They have flat, disk-shaped bodies that seem to “fly” underwater.

They are found in water depths of 0 to 90 meters, mostly on rock reefs. They can grow up to 70 cm in length and 42 cm in diameter. They feed primarily on shrimps, small bony fishes, worms, mollusks and crabs using the food-crushing plates on both side of its mouth. The stingray is found in solitude most of the time. Additionally, they stay just above the sea floor to feed, and they also use the floor for camouflage, hiding their bodies under the sand to get away from predators. Sometimes they tend to move to reef flats or shallow lagoons, but only on high tides. They are also oviviparous, which mean that they keep their eggs inside their bodies until they hatch. They can give birth to up to 7 pups per year.

Blue-Spotted Stingray, are commonly mistaken for Blue-Spotted Ribbontail Ray (Taeniura lymma), which is rounder in shape and the spots are more visible. The Blue Spotted Stingray has two pairs of venomous spines, approximately 12 inches long for the longer spine, which are used to protect it from predators. Both species can be seen in Dauin’s dive-sites like the El Dorado House Reef and Masaplod Norte. The Blue Spotted Ribbontail Ray usually hides in holes under small rocks or coral bommies while the Blue Spotted Stingray digs himself into the sand close to the reef.