Stingrays
Southern stingray, Dasyatis americana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Myliobatiformes
Suborder:	Myliobatoidei

Blue Spotted Ray

The stingrays are a large suborder of the rays. They are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, which consists of nine families.

Most stingrays have one or more barbed stings on the tail, which is used only for self-defence. The sting may reach about 35 cm, and its underside has two grooves with venom glands. The sting is covered with a thin layer of skin, the sheath, in which the venom is held. A few members of the suborder, such as the manta rays and the porcupine ray, do not have stings.

Stingrays are common in coastal tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world. There are species in warm temperate oceans, and some found in the ocean. Some live in fresh water. Most stingrays live at or near the bottom of the water, but some are pelagic.