Common stingray

Photo: Dennis Rabeling · CC BY-NC-ND

The common stingray is an ambush predator that half-buries itself in sandy patches between reef structures, camouflaged by a layer of settled sediment. It detects buried prey using electroreceptive ampullae of Lorenzini on the underside of its disc. Although the venomous tail spine is defensive rather than offensive, accidental contact by divers landing on camouflaged individuals accounts for most recorded stings.