Niger stingray
Fontitrygon garouaensis
- Critically endangered
- Card rarity: Legendary
- Sharks and rays
The Niger stingray or smooth freshwater stingray is a species of stingray in the family Dasyatidae, native to rivers in Nigeria and Cameroon. Attaining a width of 40 cm (16 in), this species can be distinguished by its thin, almost circular pectoral fin disk, slightly projecting snout tip, and mostly smooth skin with small or absent dermal denticles. The Niger stingray feeds on aquatic insect larvae and is ovoviviparous. The long stinging spine on the tail of this ray can inflict a painful wound. It has been assessed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as its numbers are declining in some areas and it faces heavy fishing pressure and habitat degradation.
Classification
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Myliobatiformes
- Family
- Dasyatidae
- Genus
- Fontitrygon