Differences Between Dolphins & Stingrays

Appearance

• Stingrays are wide flat creatures with two pectoral fins that join the head. Stingrays also have a tail or barb, which can be serrated and end in a sharp point. Sometimes the underside of the tail can produce venom, which can be fatal to humans. Dolphins are perceived as far friendlier creatures with curved mouths that look like smiles and long sharklike bodies with fins.

Habitat

• Dolphins inhabit warm waters like tropical oceans while stingrays prefer temperate seas. Stingrays tend to inhabit the shallow waters along coastlines. Dolphins also like the shallower waters and can even be found in some rivers. The habitats of both dolphins and stingrays can be threatened by human activity and global warming. Stingrays are considered a threatened species. Some dolphins, including the Chinese River, Indus River and orca, are endangered.

Behavior

• While dolphins tend to be quite active, are able to swim at 18 miles an hour and surface to breathe two or three times a minute, stingrays tend to be inactive, and bury themselves in the sand on the sea floor. While dolphins have been observed jumping up to 16 feet out of the water, stingrays stay beneath the waves and swim by either undulating their bodies or flapping their sides. Unlike the lonely stingray, dolphins travel in groups and communicate through squeaks, whistles and clicks.

Diet

• Stingrays are carnivores and can crush mollusks, mussels, oysters and clams in their jaw teeth. Dolphins are also carnivores, but tend to eat fish though they sometimes dine on fish and squid. Stingrays sense their prey with special organs around their mouths that can sense the natural electrical charges of their prey. Dolphins have been known to follow fishing boats in the hopes of catching leftover fish.