STINGRAYS IN STRUISBAAI

What an amazing experience we had when we visited the famous stingrays in Struisbaai harbour!  I was absolutely mesmerized by them and took a zillion pictures …..

Parrie is not just another stingray.    He or she (I do not know how you distinguish between them) has been featured on local television in recent years.

Stingrays and manta rays (there is a difference) are cartilaginous fishes.  So, what is the difference between them?

• Stingray is a group of rays with about 100 species while there are only two species of manta rays.
• Manta ray is much larger and heavier than stingrays.
• Stingray has barbed stings, but not manta ray
• Stingray could be harmful for humans, but there are no accidental attacks on divers from manta rays
• Manta rays are found mostly around tropical waters and barely in subtropics, whereas stingrays inhabit tropical, subtropical, and occasionally temperate marine waters
• Manta rays get their gills cleaned from other fishes frequently but not the stingrays.

Round about four in the afternoon, normally when the fishing boats return from sea, the stingrays decent on the harbour when Parrie and his friends arrive.  If you want to get a good spot arrive early and position yourself on the small pier to have a good view to take those awesome pictures of them.  You will not regret it.

With their “waving wings” they put up a display and entertain the people.  Some of them took the food that is offered to them.

With modern technology at hand a friend launched a drone to capture these amazing animals in the bay. I counted a total of about 13 in the clear blue waters.  However, not all of them is as tame as Parrie and they keep their distance.

Parrie is famous.  Go and like Parrie’s Facebook page

ooOoo