Hypanus longus
Silhouette: Eloisa Pinheiro Giareta · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The longtail stingray (Hypanus longus, often misspelled longa), is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California to Colombia. It inhabits sandy habitats down to a depth of 90 m (300 ft). Measuring up to 1.56 m (5.1 ft) across, this species has a rhomboid pectoral fin disc, a lower (but not upper) fin fold on the tail, and numerous dermal denticles along the back and behind the stinging spine. The longtail stingray feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling bony fishes and crustaceans. It is aplacental viviparous, with females giving birth to 1–5 young in late summer. It is caught for food, likely throughout its range, but specific fishery data is lacking.
American zoologist Samuel Garman published the original description of the longtail stingray in an 1880 issue of the scientific journal Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. He gave it the name Trygon longa, in reference to the long tail, and designated a specimen from Acapulco, Mexico and another from Panama as the syntypes. Subsequent authors placed this species in the genus Dasyatis. A 2001 phylogenetic analysis by Lisa Rosenberger, based on morphological... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coiba National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burgers' Ocean | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 2 | Royal Burgers' Zoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Aquarium Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Acuario Michin Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Grandview Mall Aquarium | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 6 | Ocean Park Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Longtail Stingray sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Longtail 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.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Longtail Stingray sightings, Machalilla National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Coiba National Park (Panama, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Longtail Stingray is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Machalilla National Park (14 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.
