Blue-spotted Stingray

Photo: Elias Levy · CC BY

Blue-spotted stingrays rest on the sandy bottom around the Okikawa Maru's hull, partially buried in silt and identifiable by the vivid electric-blue spots that warn predators of a potent tail spine. They feed on small crustaceans and mollusks by excavating the sediment with their pectoral fins, and their feeding disturbance provides foraging opportunities for opportunistic wrasse. Despite the conspicuous coloration, they are docile when undisturbed and allow close approach by patient divers.