Thin-tailed Stingray

The Thin-tailed Stingray (Bathytoshia thetidis) is one of the largest stingray species, capable of reaching disc widths of around 2 meters or more. They can weigh well over 100 kilograms, making them significantly larger than most common stingray species encountered by divers.

Thin-tailed Stingrays are found in the coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific region, with significant populations off southern Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. They typically inhabit deeper coastal waters and continental shelves rather than shallow reef flats.

Like all stingrays, Bathytoshia thetidis possesses a venomous barb on its tail that can inflict serious injury if stepped on or provoked. However, they are generally not aggressive toward humans, and stings are rare given their preference for deeper waters away from busy beaches.

The Thin-tailed Stingray has been subject to taxonomic revision, and the genus Bathytoshia was split from Dasyatis in recent years based on morphological and genetic studies. Some regional common names overlap with other large stingray species, so there has historically been confusion about its exact classification.