Canon PowerShot D10
ƒ/2.8
6.2 mm
1/60
80

Found this frisky fellow temporarily trapped in a tide pool today in Pescadero on the Baja Peninsula, México. Has to be the best tide-pooling surprise for me so far…

Anyone know what kind of ray this is?

Here’s short underwater video, and some more shots below.

15 responses to “Sting Ray”

  1. IMG_0208

    IMG_0222

    IMG_0224

    IMG_0225

    …and under the sand she goes…. a nautical land mine…

  2. What kind is it…?
    Scary….I would say.!
    Well caught…to say the least.

    Merry Christmas to you and yours…

  3. underwater shot with the Canon Powershot D10? great video capture.

  4. That experience alone is enough to mark your family vacation as special! I enjoyed the video and the photos. Great catch of the Sting Ray…but not to CATCH!

    Bonnes Vacances à toi et à ta famille!

  5. Wonderful shot — love the reflection above!!

  6. Fascinating…. would love to be under water now….

  7. Definitely a skate of the family Rajidae. I thought perhaps Raja inornata (California skate) based on location. However, I am not certain. This one is going to take a bit more research.

  8. wow amazing 🙂

    Please check my photos 🙂

  9. They are fun fishies!

  10. Great shots of this ray!

  11. Its called a Cortez Round Sting-ray. At least it is not the electric ray. YIKES!

    Be careful in the water there. I know it sounds cool with all the colorful sealife, but last time I was down there, I ran into some rather unseemly critters that can do you some harm.

  12. More details…

    Common Names: Cortez round stingray

    Latin Name: Urobatis maculatus

    Family: Urobatidae

    Identification: Similar to Round stingray but with conspicuous dark spots on disc.

    Size: Maximum length 42cm

    Habitat: Sandy bays, rocky reefs, and sea grass beds. Intertidal to 20m.

    Abundance and distribution: From the Sea of Cortez to Magdalena Bay on the west coast of Baja. Often abundant in shallow bays in the southern Sea of Cortez .

    Behavior: Forages during the day for worms and crustaceans.

    Reproduction: Ovoviviparous. Gravid females exude milk from the wall of the uterus.

    Observations:

    Photographs: Mulege, Baja , Mexico . Playa El Burro, Baja, Mexico.

    Similar species: Round stingray – Urolophus halleri.

    Reaction to divers: Moves away upon close approach.

    Diving logistics: This species is easily found whilst snorkelling over sand or near rocky reefs in the southern Sea of Cortez . I encountered 5 individuals within about ten minutes whilst snorkelling off the beach at Mulege. They are also commonly seen in this area whilst diving and I encountered them at Punta Conception at about 50ft. This site is dived by Cortez Explorers based in Mulege. South of Mulege at Playa El Burro I snorkelled off the sandy beach and encountered many (perhaps a hundred or more) in around 3 to 8ft of water. The encounters took place in October.

  13. Thanks [http://www.flickr.com/photos/14579294@N08] !!

  14. Awesome set of shots! Love the eyes on this guy.

Leave a Reply to gcquinn Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *