exhibits & presentations

Stingray Lagoon

Discover the masters of camouflage gliding through Caribbean shallows.

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exhibits & presentations

Stingray Lagoon

Discover the masters of camouflage gliding through Caribbean shallows.

Back to Exhibits & Presentations

presentation Schedule

Plaza in front of Marine Gardens

at a glance

Look closely at the sandy floor of the lagoon—what appears to be empty bed of sand may actually be holding multiple resting stingrays.

Ecosystem

Shallow Caribbean Sandy Bottoms & Seagrass Beds.

Viewing and presentations included with General Admission ticket. Book an immersive encounter for an additional fee.

Meet the Southern Stingray

Southern Stingrays are true masters of disguise. In the wild, they bury themselves under sand to shade from the sun and hide from potential predators like hammerhead sharks.

Keep an eye out for a peeking eye or subtle tip of a tail sticking out of the sand. When active, these graceful rys emerge to glide around the pool, rippling their wing-like pectoral fins. Don’t be surprised if one Swims right up to the ledge and slaps its “wings” against the wall—they’re friendly opportunists hoping for a fish treat!

Fun Fact! Stingrays have no bones in their bodies! Their skeleton is made up of flexible cartilage (the bendy stuff that your ears and nose are made from).

Relatively Shark-Like

Stingrays are ancient relatives of sharks, perfectly adapted for life along shallow sandy ocean floors:

Master Camouflage

Rays bury beneath the sand to shade from the sun and hide from predators, oftern leaving only their eyes and tail tip visible.

No Bones About It

Belonging to an ancient class of fish (Elasmobranchii), rays have flexible skeletons made entirely of cartilage rather than bone.

Spiracle Breathing

Specialized opening behind their eyes calls spiracles draw oxygenated water directly over their gills, allowing them to breathe while buried without inhaling sand.

Sixth-Sense Foraging

Tiny head pores detect microscopic electrical currents from hidden prey, while smooth tooth plates crush hard shells like clams and crabs.

Animals in this Exhibit

• Southern Stingray (Hypanus americanus).

Snorkel with juvenile sharks, and see these incredible predators up close.

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From $64

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