Caribbean Whiptail Stingray
Styracura schmardae
Peacock River Stingray
Potamotrygon motoro
About
The peacock river stingray is a freshwater ray that can weigh over 34 kg. It is patterned with a scatter of bright rings that look like a peacock's tail feathers. It lives in rivers across tropical South America and is one of the most widespread stingrays in its family.
Also known as: ocellate river stingray, peacock-eye stingray, motoro ray, south american freshwater stingray, black river stingray
- Weight
- max 34 kg
How to tell it apart
Many freshwater stingrays in South America share this rounded, spotted look. The ringed, eye-like spots across the body are the clue that sets it apart from plain-coloured or blotchy freshwater rays.
Appearance
Its body, called a disc, is almost circular, with eyes that sit raised above the flat body. The upper side is beige or brown, covered in yellow-orange spots ringed with dark outlines. The size, colour, and pattern of these spots vary a lot between animals and between river systems.
Did you know?
This was the first freshwater stingray species ever described by scientists, and it remains the most widely spread member of its family, found across the Amazon, Orinoco and Rio de la Plata river systems.
Log it in Into the Blue
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