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Two spotted freshwater stingrays resting on sand.
Photo: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Freshwater Stingray

Potamotrygon species, including Potamotrygon motoro

One of the few rays that live in rivers instead of the ocean, a flat Amazon fish with a stinging tail spine.

🦈 Sharks and Rays
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About the Freshwater Stingray

Freshwater stingrays can grow to about 18 inches across, with tails up to a foot long. Their eyes are on top of the body, and their mouths and gill slits are underneath. Unlike most rays, which live in the sea, they live in fresh water in the Amazon River system. They eat crustaceans and other invertebrates, crushing clams and mussels with strong jaws, and sometimes small fish.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Potamotrygon species, including Potamotrygon motoro[1]
Size
Up to about 18 inches across; tail up to 1 foot.[1]
Lifespan
5 to 10 years in human care.[1]
Diet
Crustaceans and other invertebrates, clams, mussels and sometimes small fish.[1]
Habitat
Fresh water.[1]
Where it lives
The Amazon River system in South America.[1]
Babies
2 to 6 live pups, about once a year.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern for Potamotrygon motoro (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024).[2]

Fun facts

  • A stingray's tail spine is shed and replaced, and sometimes it has two.[1]
  • Baby stingrays are called pups.[1]
  • They cause more injuries to people than any other Amazon animal.[1]

Vocabulary

cartilage
A tough, bendy material that makes up the skeletons of sharks and rays.
spiracle
An opening behind a ray's eye that helps it breathe.
freshwater
Water that is not salty, like most rivers and lakes.
ovoviviparous
Having eggs that hatch inside the mother before the young are born.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Freshwater stingray.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/freshwater-stingray (accessed 2026-10-08)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Potamotrygon motoro (Ocellate Freshwater Stingray).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39404/2923869 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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