Short-Tailed Stingray

The short-tailed stingray is a deep-water species found in continental slopes and abyssal plains, typically encountered below 200 m. This stingray is unmistakable: a dark, robust disc with a notably short tail—far shorter than most ray species—and a venomous spine. Little is known of its behaviour in the deep, but like other benthic rays it likely hunts small fish and invertebrates on or near the seafloor. Sightings are rare and usually incidental to deep research dives.