Ocellated Ray
(Potamotrygon sp.)
Habitat: Freshwater Rivers |  | Exhibit
Gallery: Sharks: Amazon |
Tan spots encircled with dark brown bands (ocelli) camouflage these slow-swimming ocellated rays as they lurk in the sand and mud. When prey come their way, rays quickly trap their catch under their bodies and swallow their meal. |
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| Since local residents and visitors fear these river rays (even more than they fear piranhas), agencies hire people to “clean up” river beaches by killing the stingrays. It has been estimated that in the last three years at least 21,000 stingrays were removed from the population. |
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| Ocellated river rays are flat and round with a tail that tapers to a poisonous stinger near the tip of the tail. They aren’t aggressive, but if they’re accidentally stepped on, the rays instantly lash their tails and stab with their poisonous stingers. Stingray wounds are extremely painful and may become infected. |
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| The upheaval of the Andes mountains isolated rays in freshwater rivers, where they’ve remained for 60 million years. |
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