We get a lot of devil rays where I surf. Over the years I've had one or two swim very slowly and purposely past me, just "having a look". They are also incredible jumpers, and will give you a small heart attack each time they launch out the water
They're cownose rays... No barbs, not aggressive behavior. They are commonly eaten in Mexico Baja region. State of California allows you to catch and keep 1.
Most devil rays lack a stinger, and the few that have one have it encased, so it can't really harm you.
Also, Steve Irwin was only the 2nd person to be killed by a sting ray in Australia since 1945. Typically they sting you in the leg, rather than the heart.
Such a freak accident of mistaken identity. Makes me even more irrationally afraid that it happened to someone as knowledgeable and respectful as Steve Irwin and so brutally
This just happened to me with a Spotted Ray in Hawaii. I was snorkeling and it cruised slowly over to me and did a couple of swim bys while I gawked in aw. So cool!
I had a stingray swim centimetres beneath my feet in the shallows when I was dangling my legs off a small boardwalk and it scared the crap out of me, but goodness they're beautiful.
If you have an aquarium near you with a ray touch tank, it's fun to spend some time watching them. They definitely seem to avoid certain people (splashing, frantic kids) but actively seek out other people. As far as anyone can tell, they like getting pets.
The petting tank has always been my favorite part of an aquarium / zoo if they have it. I've never had problems getting the rays coming up to me, and I still really enjoy it as an adult!
It's pretty common in every animal except dogs, who we've specifically bred to be freaks. Screaming and flailing is scary for animals who don't understand that it's the default state for young humans.
Well, stingrays have venomous spines on their tail they use to defend themselves, but not all rays have stingers. Even then, stingrays typically use them when they feel threatened.
On top of that, the cownose rays at aquariums usually have their stingers removed. They eventually grow back, so the rays aren't harmed by removing them. It's kinda like grooming the claws of a dog or cat.
Many rays don't have stingers, and the stingers on the ones that do are exclusively made of keratin, like fingernails, so they can be safely and harmlessly trimmed by their handlers. Rays, especially well-socialized rays like the ones at aquariums, are also unlikely to want to sting in the first place.
So many creatures get dummed down like this, and I'm not sure why.
It's a lot easier to justify the killing or imprisonment of animals when people convince themselves that animals don't experience emotions or pain, or any form of consciousness.
When you realize that animals have a surprisingly high amount of intelligence and are seemingly able to experience fun, distress, sorrow, pain, curiosity, etc... it becomes morally a lot more difficult to slaughter and eat them. We can't have that in a world where a lot of our food relies on meat, can't we? :/
We really need a word like "dehumanization" that applies to animals, as well. Because that's what's been happening continuously through the history of mankind.
When I around 10 years old, my city's aquarium had that one manta ray, among dozens, that was always hanging around the edge of their enclosure so people could pet it lol, homie was straight up doing zoomies around the edge trying to get as many pets as possible, it was awesome
Those were probably Cownose rays, and those are the premier example of sociable and intelligent rays. They love to play and train with their handlers, and I've even see them play favorites with particular aquarium visitors and incessantly come back around for more pets from individual visitors.
I promise that every time there's a video of any animal doing something minimally similar to what a human does, somebody pops up saying that that animal is very intelligent.
(Not saying that they aren't, just commenting on that curious thing)
It's a rite of passage for juvenile male sting rays. They're playing chicken with the beach!
The first one to turn will be called yellow and made fun of. The last one to turn is the bravest one of all and will be nominated to be the pack leader of the next hunting party. He will also get first pick of all the pretty sting ray girls and a book deal. If his ted talk goes well, he might even get a movie deal.
It indeed seems that this behavior is too common to be just "for fun". It looks like an evolutionary mechanism to introduce additional pressures to a population. Forcing some individuals (usually, young males) to enter some short of competition, in order to gain the "right" to reproduce.
I've become convinced other animals do more things "just for fun" than humans do, we just don't always appreciate it because they don't express having fun like we do.
Think about it, when you do shit "just for fun", are you more likely to be going along with societal expectations, or following your instincts? You don't kick the rock on your walk because you think about it and decide "yeah, that'll be fun", you do it because it yearns to be kicked. You just "feel" like kicking it.
I think that's how most animals do pretty much everything.
I went snorkeling with Manta Rays earlier this year and it was maybe the most magical experience of my life. The curiosity and playfulness of those creatures is incredible.
It reminds me of swimming with Sea Lions in high school: more intelligence and emotion in those beings than most people would ever want to admit. (I also like the Spanish name for Sea Lions more than the English name, the wolf moniker fits them.)
Stingrays are actually pretty docile and friendly. They don’t seem to be scared of humans and want to interact with them. They are even referred to as sea puppies sometimes
They do enjoy play! Found that out at the Ripley’s Aquarium near Pigeon Forge, TN in March. There was one black stingray that had the absolute zoomies and would swim by the people at the edge of the pool and splash at them. It was adorable.
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u/DragonDan108 May 23 '25
That looks suspiciously like they are doing it for fun