The richness and diversity of Mallorca’s battered seabed sometimes leaves us with endearing, striking and thought-provoking images. In this case, the images were captured by experienced diver Ramón Javier Fernández Barea, known as “es Canari”, who, during one of his dives focused on cleaning up the coastline, came across a striking surprise that he was able to capture with his trusty camera.
Suddenly, a whipray approached him calmly, despite the danger of its venomous sting, which can cause serious injuries. Ramón’s experience allowed him to handle the situation with composure, as it seemed that the animal was asking the diver for help. It did so by showing him the sea feather that had been attached to it, probably since it was a larva.
Immediately, and despite the difficulty, Ramón took great care to try to remove the feather duster from the whipray, finally succeeding, and then sharing part of the journey of that specimen in the area near Cap d’Es Llamp, on the west coast of Mallorca in Andratx.
A whipray is a type of stingray from the family Dasyatidae, known for its long, whip-like tail that bears a venomous, serrated spine for defense. These solitary, bottom-dwelling fish inhabit coastal and estuarine waters of the Indo-Pacific, feeding on small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. While the sting is not lethal to humans, it can cause intense pain and swelling.
Characteristics and behavior
Tail: The tail is typically long and slender, becoming whip-like behind one or two venomous stinging spines.
Defense: The tail spine is used for self-defense and can inflict painful injuries.
Diet: They are nocturnal bottom-dwellers that eat a variety of small marine life, including fish, crustaceans, and bivalves.
Hunting: Some species, like the freshwater whipray, have been observed lunging onto riverbanks to herd and eat fish.
Habitat: Whiprays are found in coastal areas, estuaries, and lagoons, with some species living in freshwater rivers.
Reproduction: Female whiprays are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young, with some species having a gestation period of about a year.
Examples of whipray species
Reticulate whipray: Also known as the honeycomb stingray, it is found in the western Indian Ocean and has a distinctive dark, honeycomb-like pattern on its back. It is listed as vulnerable.
Honeycomb whipray: Found widely in the Indo-Pacific, this large species has a striking pattern of dark rings and reticulations on its dorsal side. It is considered endangered.
Mangrove whipray: A widespread species in the Indo-Pacific, it has a dark, oval-shaped body with white freckles and a whip-like tail.
Scaly whipray: Found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific, this species inhabits inshore coastal waters and estuaries.
White-edge freshwater whipray: Lives in freshwater environments and is known for its hunting habits on riverbanks.