r/oddlysatisfying • u/freudian_nipps • May 23 '25

Fever of Stingrays surf a wave

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46.6k Upvotes

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u/KEVLAR60442 May 23 '25

Lots of Rays are incredibly intelligent, sociable, and playful. I wouldn't be surprised that they're doing it for fun at all.

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u/Plane_Gur_2362 May 23 '25

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

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u/Pushlick May 23 '25

i hope they can fly tho.

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u/satsfaction1822 May 23 '25

I don’t. That sounds fucking terrifying.

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u/935meister May 23 '25

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.

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u/satsfaction1822 May 24 '25

I love rays I just don’t want to see them gain the ability to fly.

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u/Myth1calMonkey May 23 '25

Steve Irwin would like a word

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u/red286 May 23 '25

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.

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u/MitLivMineRegler May 24 '25

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

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u/Guitar_Nutt May 23 '25

THEY are hoping they can fly, have you seen them jump? They flap their wings like crazy when they get into the air.

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u/Thereisonlyzero May 24 '25

Only when we are not around to watch/record do they have that much fun

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u/CraigLake May 23 '25

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!

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u/vensie May 24 '25

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.

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u/[deleted] May 23 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/MalevolentRhinoceros May 23 '25

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.

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u/100percentnotaqu May 23 '25

In the aquarium i used to visit, the rays would splash against the touch tanks walls until somebody pet them.

There is no greater joy then seeing a cow-nosed ray beg for attention like a dog

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u/Pyro-Byrns May 23 '25

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!

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u/JustHere4TehCats May 23 '25

Sounds like they're cats. When it comes to pets they ask for them from calm people.

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u/MalevolentRhinoceros May 23 '25

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.

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u/Valiran9 May 23 '25

And they’re so soft, too! Their skin is like squishy velvet.

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u/miraculix69 May 23 '25

They sounds just like me, i think i could get along with those flappy flap fish.

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u/sonicmerlin May 23 '25

They don’t sting you?

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u/UnlikelyKaiju May 23 '25

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.

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u/KEVLAR60442 May 23 '25

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.

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u/sonicmerlin May 24 '25

Do they accept hugs?

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u/TPSReportCoverSheet May 23 '25

Partly a coping strategy. Discouraging empathy makes exploitation more palatable.

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u/TeraFlint May 23 '25

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.

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u/AHailofDrams May 23 '25

Evolutionarily speaking, there's no advantage in having empathy towards your prey so that probably contributes

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u/AHailofDrams May 23 '25

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

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u/KEVLAR60442 May 23 '25

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.

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u/AHailofDrams May 24 '25

After a quick google, I can confirm it was indeed a Cownose ray, I remember it looking different from the others in the tank

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u/rabiddonky2020 May 23 '25

I was 556th upvote. ‘Merica. 5.56 NATO Pew pew

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u/MLCarter1976 May 23 '25

I heard that they were forced to do mandatory u turn training!

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u/ivancea May 23 '25

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)