Pink Whipray

About the Pink Whipray

The pink whipray (Pateobatis fai) is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, with a wide but ill-defined distribution in the tropical Indo-Pacific from southern Africa to Polynesia. It is a bottom dweller that generally inhabits shallow water under 70 m (230 ft) deep, in sandy areas associated with coral reefs. Individuals exhibit a high degree of fidelity to particular locations. The pink whipray has a diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc wider than long, with a broad-angled snout and a very long, whip-like tail without fin folds. It has only a few small thorns on its back and is uniform brownish to grayish pink in color, becoming much darker past the tail sting. This large ray can reach 1.8 m (5.9 ft) across and over 5 m (16 ft) long.

Gregarious in nature, the pink whipray has been known to form large active and resting aggregations, and associate with other large ray species. It preys mainly on prawns, but also consumes other benthic invertebrates and bony fishes. This species is aplacental viviparous, in which the unborn young are nourished by histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Across much of its range, substantial numbers of pink whiprays are caught incidentally by a variety of fishing gear and marketed for meat, skin, and cartilage. It is also of importance to ecotourism, being attracted to visitors with bait. In 2009, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had listed this species as Least Concern, due to its wide distribution that includes relatively protected areas, such as northern Australia. However, its population is likely declining under heavy fishing pressure, and since 2016 has been assessed as Vulnerable. Wikipedia →