stingray

[sting-rey]

noun

1. any of the rays, ray, especially of the family Dasyatidae, having a long, flexible tail armed near the base with a strong, serrated bony spine with which they can inflict painful wounds.

stingray

/ ˈstɪŋˌreɪ /

noun

1. any ray of the family Dasyatidae, having a whiplike tail bearing a serrated venomous spine capable of inflicting painful weals on man

Word History and Origins

Origin of stingray¹

First recorded in 1605–15; sting + ray ²

Example Sentences

Steve Irwin died aged 44 after being stung by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland.

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That year researchers said several factors contributed to the population boom, including climate change, better water quality and a decrease in the population of the stingray’s predator, white sharks.

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In a freak accident, Steve Irwin died after being pierced through the heart by a usually chill stingray while filming an underwater documentary in a lagoon off the Great Barrier Reef.

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There are also interactive touch pools for invertebrates and stingrays.

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They feed on the abundant stingrays — the true wildlife threat for beachgoers in the Southland — but otherwise mind their own business.

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