STINGRAY BAY: MEDIA KIT
Stingray Bay has been the talk of the town! What is it?
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium guests and members will now have the opportunity to
see stingrays up close and to touch these majestic creatures! The Stingray Bay
experience will encourage visitors to interact with the Zoo’s brand new school of
stingrays by watching these beautiful animals “fly” through the water and dipping
their hands in the water to come in contact with them.
Where is located?
Located in Jungle Jack’s Landing near Zoombezi Bay, Stingray
Bay will feature an 18,000-gallon saltwater pool for stingrays to
call home. Staff and volunteers will monitor the pool, inform
guests about the best ways to touch the animals and answer
questions when the exhibit opens daily at 10 a.m.
What types of stingrays call Stingray Bay home?
Dozens of cownose and southern stingrays will glide though the waters of Stingray
Bay. Educational interpreters will explain the role of these stingrays in the
environment. Stingrays are typically bottom feeders with molar-like teeth used to
crush the shells of their prey such as crustaceans, mollusks, and other invertebrates.
I’m excited to touch the stingrays, but is it safe?
Absolutely! The rays barbs have been carefully trimmed off their
whip-like tails. The painless procedure is similar to cutting human
fingernails.
Safe for all ages, the landscaped pool features a waterfall and a wide
ledge for toddlers to lean against when touching the rays.
This sounds cool! How much does it cost?
Admission to Stingray Bay is free for Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Gold Members and discounted for M embers. General admission to
Stingray Bay is as follows:
Non-member children and adults
Columbus Zoo member children and adults
Zoombezi Bay season pass holder
Gold membership holder
Ride wristband holder at $10
Stingray feeding (one cup)
$3
$2
$2
Free
Free
$2
FAST FACTS: Cownose Rays and Southern Stingrays
Cownose Rays
(Rhinoptera bonasus)
Although cownose rays are sometimes referred to as skates or
stingrays, they are technically neither; cownose rays belong to
their own family of rays. Cownose rays are named for the long
pectoral fins that create two creased lobes in front of their
domed head, giving them a “cow-ish” look. Cows are not the
only animals this species resembles, when their wingtips break
the surface of the water they look like the dorsal fin of a shark!
Appearance
Cownose rays get their name from their unique forehead which resembles the nose of a cow. They are
brown to olive-colored on top with no spots, and pale below. Cownose rays have long, pointed
pectoral fins, and a long whip-like tail with one or two venomous barbs which they use in defense. The
barbs are made of modified scales, or “dermal denticles”. These barbs have toxins and mucus in their
grooves, produced by glands located on the underside of the spine.
Size
Male cownose rays are approximately 2.5 feet across and females are between 2 and 3 feet across.
Both male and female rays have a tail that is about twice as long as their body.
Range
Cownose rays can be found in the Western Atlantic from the Northern
U.S. south to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat
Cownose rays are considered an open ocean (pelagic) species, but can
inhabit inshore, shallow bays and estuaries. They prefer warm temperate
and tropical waters to depths of 72 feet.
Feeding
Like other rays, their mouth is located on the underneath side. Cownose rays feed on bottom-dwelling
shellfish, lobster, crabs, and fish. To locate their prey, these rays have electroreceptors on their snout
as well excellent senses of smell and touch.
Predators
Predators include cobia and a variety of sharks (sandbar, bull, and hammerhead). Many sharks have
been found with barbs from cownose rays embedded in their head and jaws.
Reproduction
Gestation periods last between 6 and 8 months. Young are 11 to 18-inches wide.
FUN FACTS: Cownose rays can jump out of the water, landing with
a loud smack, likely as a territorial display.
This ray is shaped like a kite and is a very graceful swimmer. Its
broad wing-like pectoral fins, up to 3 feet across, are used to
propel it through the water, making it look like it is flying.
Southern Stingrays
(Dasyatis Americana)
Southern rays are distantly related to sharks and skates. They belong to the Family
Dasyatidae which includes 70 species of stingray. There are only 9 other species in
the same genus, Dasyatis, including the red stingray and roughtail stingray.
Appearance
Southern stingrays have a flat, diamond-shaped body with an indistinct head. They are gray to dark
brown in color, with a pale belly. Southern stingrays have one or more venomous barbs located on
their whip-like tail. These barbs, used for defense, are made of modified scales, or
“dermal denticles” and have toxins and mucus in their grooves produced by glands
located on the underside of the spine.
The mouth of a southern ray, like all rays, is conveniently located on the
underneath side of its body to allow the stingray easy access to bottom-dwelling
prey. They have a row of five gill slits that are located on the underneath in
addition to openings, called spiracles, on the top just behind their eyes. These help
the stingrays breathe easily while resting on the bottom.
Size
Male are approximately 2.5 feet across and females are approximately 4 feet across. Both male and
female rays have a tail that is about twice as long as their body.
Range
Southern stingrays can be found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean,
the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico down the coast to southeastern
Brazil.
Habitat
These stingrays make their home in shallow coastal waters to a depth of
180 feet. They prefer lagoon or coral reef habitats where there are
sandy bottoms and seagrass bed.
Feeding
Southern stingrays feed during the day and night. They look for shellfish, worms, shrimp, crabs and
small fish along the sandy bottom. To locate their prey, these stingrays have electroreceptors on their
snout as well as excellent senses of smell and touch. Once they have found their food, they
undercover it by blowing water out through their mouth and flapping their “wings” over the sand.
Predators
Large fish, including lemon and hammerhead sharks, will prey on Southern stingrays.
Reproduction
Gestation periods last between 4 and 11 months. Young are close to 8-inches wide.
FUN FACTS: Unlike the cownose ray, the southern stingray is not social
and is usually found alone or in pairs, rarely in large groups.
Southern stingrays spend much of their time buried in the sandy
seafloor with only their eyes and spiracles (breathing openings behind
their eyes) showing. At night, they slowly graze along the seashore.
HERE’S THE SCOOP ON STINGRAYS…
There are two types of fish: bony and cartilaginous. Stingrays are a fish
species most closely related to sharks (cartilaginous fish). Stingrays are
commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas and
spend the majority of their time inactive and partially buried in the
sand. A few spend their entire lives in fresh water. Stingrays move by
undulating their bodies like a wave or by flapping their fins like wings.
Stingray mouths are located on their underside, which makes it easy to
eat when searching the ocean floor for food.
Four fun facts
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Stingrays come in two different general "types" - the "benthic" (or bottom) stingrays and the
"pelagic" (or swimming) stingrays.
Freshwater giant stingrays are among the largest of the approximately 200 species of rays.
They can be found in a handful of rivers in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
In 2009, a National Geographic research team caught one that weighed an estimated 550 to
990; the stingray's body measured 6.6 feet wide by 6.9 feet long. The tail was missing. If it had
been there, the ray's total length would have been between 14.8 and 16.4 feet.
Stingrays can be found in both freshwater and marine habitats throughout the world. Many
species are "euryhaline" or capable of living in waters of a wide range of salinity.
Barbs put the “sting” in stingray!
The venom apparatus or "sting" of a stingray is a spine or modified dermal
denticle (the scales covering sharks and stingrays) with two ventral grooves
filled with venom- producing tissue. The venom apparatus is surrounded by a
cell-rich covering or sheath that also may produce lesser amounts of venom.
Stingray barbs are made of a dentine and enamel-like material, similar to the
tooth-like scales on sharks. These spines are found on the top side of the tail.
Stingray venom
A stingray’s venom is largely a protein-based toxin that causes great pain in mammals and may
also alter heart rate and respiration. Since the venom carried on the barb is protein - based, it
can be inactivated by exposing it to high temperatures. If stung, victims should immerse the
wound in hot water or apply a heat compress immediately. Although this should reduce the
initial pain of a stingray injury, victims should also obtain medical assistance so that the wound
can be properly examined and cleaned to avoid secondary infections or other complications.
Marine parks, zoos and aquariums that display stingrays and allow guests to come in contact with
the animals— like Stingray Bay at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium — regularly remove or trim
the spines of their animals so that visitors won’t be injured.
Words to know
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Benthic- The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such
as an ocean or a lake
Dermal denticles- Tough "scales" that cover the skin of elasmobranches (sharks and rays).
Even though denticles are similar to scales, they are really modified teeth and are covered with
hard enamel. These structures are packed tightly together and grow with their tips facing
backwards. The function of these denticles is for protection against predators.
Pelagic- The pelagic zone of the ocean begins at the low tide mark and includes the entire
oceanic water column.
Spiracle- a breathing opening near the stingray’s eye.
Venom- A poisonous secretion of an animal, such as a snake, spider, or stingray,usually
transmitted by a bite or sting.
REFERENCES: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Mote Marine Laboratory, National Wildlife Federation, Wikipedia, Living Exhibits Inc.