# Where Do Stingrays Live?

> Where stingrays live: Coastal seas, reefs, and some rivers, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** Stingray (*Myliobatoidei*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore (mollusks, crustaceans, fish)
- **Habitat:** Coastal seas, reefs, and some rivers
- **Lifespan:** 15–25 years by species
- **Top speed:** Glides; fast burst when alarmed
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/stingray/where-do-stingray-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/stingray/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

Stingrays (Myliobatoidei) are flat-bodied fish related to sharks, known for the venomous, barbed spine on their whip-like tails. They swim by rippling their broad, wing-like pectoral fins and live in coastal seas, reefs, and some rivers, with large species spanning up to 2 m across. Bottom-feeders, they eat molluscs, crustaceans, and fish, and can live 15 to 25 years depending on the species. Their conservation status varies from one species to another.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## Body shape and how they swim

Stingrays are cartilaginous fish, meaning their skeletons are made of cartilage rather than bone, like their shark relatives. Their bodies are flattened into a broad disc, and they swim by rippling the edges of their wide pectoral fins in graceful wave-like motions. Most of the time they glide slowly just above the seabed, but they can produce a fast burst of speed when alarmed. Their eyes sit on top of the body while the mouth and gills are underneath.

## Help protect the Stingray

Ocean wildlife is under mounting pressure from overfishing, bycatch and plastic pollution.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/stingray/where-do-stingray-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.