Southern Stingray

This was my first stingray encounter and it was incredible. This individual was spotted while snorkeling around Wee Wee Caye near Belize. The water was shallow enough to stand in. It has a flat, diamond-shaped disc, with a mud brown, olive, and grey dorsal surface and white underbelly (ventral surface).3 The barb on its tail is serrated and covered in a venomous mucous, used for self-defense.