Hypanus americanus
Silhouette: Eloisa Pinheiro Giareta · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) is a whiptail stingray found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to southern Brazil. It has a flat, diamond-shaped disc, with a mud brown, olive, and grey dorsal surface and white underbelly (ventral surface). The barb on its tail is serrated and covered in a venomous mucus, used for self-defense.
The southern stingray is adapted for life on the sea bed. Its flattened, diamond-shaped body is more angular than other rays. The top of the body varies between olive brown and green in adults, dark grey in juveniles, whilst the underside is white. The wing-like pectoral fins are used to propel the stingray across the ocean bottom, whilst the slender tail possesses a long, serrated and venomous spine at the base, used for defense. These spines are not fatal to humans, but are incredibly painful if stepped on. The eyes are situated on top of the head of the southern stingray, along with small openings called spiracles. The location of the spiracles enables the stingray to take in water whilst lying on the seabed, or when partially buried in sediment. Water enters the spiracles and leaves... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Stingray sighting in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park on a given day, based on 143 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 6 sharks and rays we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to August
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Stingray in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park on a given day, against about 80% in September, the lowest month.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Stingray sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park, in our data
Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Stingray sightings: about 80% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Myliobatiformes
The closest relatives of the Southern Stingray that you can see in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (order Myliobatiformes, Stingrays) are Yellow stingray (about 70%) and Maylan (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Stingray is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (143 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
