Stingrays have had a bad reputation; Steve Irwin’s fateful interaction and the menacing barb on their tail does not comply with their docile, relatively quiet existence. It is actually the last resort for a stingray to use its barb, they would much prefer to take flight than fight.

Stingrays (in their current form) have been flapping around in the oceans for 150 million years. They are a close cousin to sharks, as they also have a skeleton made of cartilage instead of solid bone. You can see this close relationship with some species which have co-evolved with the stingray and shark families, such as the Guitarfish family, which looks like a shark’s tail has been stuck to a stingray’s head.

Stingrays are a valuable part of the marine ecosystem. They provide a link between apex predators, like the requiem sharks, and lower trophic levels, such as the crabs and shrimp they munch on just under the sand. Unfortunately, they face a threat operating at an unfathomable scale. Stingrays like to hang out on the sea floor, which is where some fishing methods, like trawling and gill nets, will entangle and drag them up by mistake.

The lack of baseline data for stingrays globally means it is impossible for effective conservation measures to be put in place. Some stingrays are more common than others, but herein lies the challenge for all marine researchers – how do we research things we rarely see? I can tell you it takes time, perseverance and patience. In Tofo, we see stingrays on approximately 1/3^rd of dives, and every dive is recorded in the hope that the secrets of stingrays may start to be unlocked.

Small eye stingray on Sherwood Forest diving reef. Photo credit: Arco de Man.

Bluespotted stingray on Clownfish diving reef. Photo credit: Jenny Keeping.

Written by Jenny keeping

Click here if you would like to know more about our Marine Research Project

On 15th March 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall in central Mozambique with its epicentre close to the 4th largest city of Beira.  The slow-moving cyclone continued across the country and into Zimbabwe dumping a catastrophic amount of rain across a large area of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

As further upstream Zimbabwe was forced to open dams full of water, Mozambique suffered further flooding. While this disaster was a long way from our Marine Research Centre based in Tofo, Inhambane Province (similar distance as Berlin is from London) and all is good here, we have obviously been engaged in helping our neighbours in central Mozambique as much as we can.

We have gathered donated items and united with coordinated aid efforts to have the greatest positive impact and reach the people who need help the most.  With many areas cut off for days we split donations and sent some via container ship from Maputo into Beira port, and others we sent via land convoy to the southern-most extremity of the flooded region of Buzi Province.  These donations have all now been gratefully received by people who need them.  And we continue to work.  Collecting more donations of items with a special need for:

• Water purification treatment
• Medical supplies (antibiotic and antiseptics)
• Rehydration treatment
• Food/water
• Solar/wind-up devices (torches, charging devices)

Please help us if you can.  While Tofo continues to be a paradise location filled with wildlife and happy people, we need to continue coming together and working to help those in the central Mozambique provinces who were not so fortunate. We will continue working, researching and helping. Join us.

Below is the link to our Tofo Community Coordinated Aid Effort in the wake of Cyclone Idai: https://web.facebook.com/Tofo-aid-for-Cyclone-Idai-520936911768808/