MEET THE LOCALS
Smooth stingrays, black stingrays and eagle rays inhabit the shallow waters of Hamelin Bay in the Ngari Capes Marine Park.
Stingrays move gracefully over the ocean floor as they forage for buried molluscs and crustaceans. They sense electrical currents produced by their prey’s muscles and nerves. Prey is sucked into the mouth, crushed by grinding plates and swallowed, while the unwanted shell fragments are expelled through the gill slits. This feeding process is known as ‘hydraulic mining’.
On calm clear days, the local stingrays can be seen ‘mining’ for food around the jetty pylons and in the shallows along the beach.
Although not normally aggressive, these animals are wild and will defend themselves with the dangerous barb on their tail if disturbed.
• Look but don’t touch.
• Stay several metres away.
• Please don’t feed, walk or swim among the rays.
