Same place but on a different day............a Southern Stingray lies partially buried in the sand
It was low tide in the shallows quite close to the beach at South West Harbour Bluff just off Osprey Rock. I’m not sure if you can see, but a Southern Stingray was lying in the sand and it was really huge.
You can see the distinct triangular shape of the stingray
Rays are fairly docile with eyes and gill slits ontop of a grey to dark brown body. A stingray eats constantly day and night and this one seemed to be resting while covered with sand. Only its eyes were exposed. As soon as I got too close (I was really careful not to agitate it) it turned and moved away.
You can see the cloud of sand in the foreground of the photo as the stingray moved away
A ray is a cartilagenous fish closely related to the shark and its natural predator is the hammerhead shark.
I hope you get a chance to see these graceful creatures as you vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Marta
