Urobatis jamaicensis
Silhouette: M Kolmann · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis) is a species of stingray in the family Urotrygonidae, found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Trinidad. This bottom-dwelling species inhabits sandy, muddy, or seagrass bottoms in shallow inshore waters, commonly near coral reefs.
Female yellow stingrays are larger than males. Females reach about a maximum length of about 26 inches whereas the male will reach a maximum length of about 15 inches across. The yellow stingray has a round pectoral fin disc and a short tail with a well-developed caudal fin. It has a highly variable but distinctive dorsal color pattern consisting of either light-on-dark or dark-on-light reticulations forming spots and blotches, and can rapidly change the tonality of this coloration to improve its camouflage.
Relatively sedentary during the day, the yellow stingray feeds on small invertebrates and bony fishes. When hunting it may undulate its disc to uncover buried prey, or lift the front of its disc to form a "cave" attractive to shelter-seeking organisms. This species is aplacental viviparous, meaning that the developing embryos are sustained initially by yolk and later by histotroph ("uterine milk"). Females bear two litters of up to seven young per year in seagrass, following a gestation period of 5–6 months. Though innocuous towards humans, the yellow stingray can inflict a painful injury with its venomous tail spine. This species is taken as bycatch by commercial fisheries and collected for the aquarium trade; it may also be negatively affected by habitat degradation. Nevertheless, it remains common and widespread, which has led the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to list it under Least Concern. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow stingray sighting in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park on a given day, based on 124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow stingray in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow stingray sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 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 Yellow stingray sightings: about 70% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Myliobatiformes
The closest relatives of the Yellow stingray that you can see in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (order Myliobatiformes, Stingrays) are Southern Stingray (about 80%) and Maylan (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow stingray is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (124 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.
