A day at the beach is always exciting, but Thursday was a day that beachgoers are unlikely to ever forget.
It was one stingray after another, after another. They just kept coming. The video below from Yolo Watersports in Captiva, Florida, shows the stingrays swimming through by the hundreds, if not the thousands.
Wow! A "fever" of stingrays broke out at Captiva Island today. FYI: A large group of stingrays is called a fever. Big shoutout to @yolowatersports for sharing the video with 10 Tampa Bay! pic.twitter.com/1ezFWno6R0
— Ric Kearbey (@RicKearbeyWTSP) May 13, 2021
According to National Geographic, many stingrays like to live by themselves and only come together for breeding and migration. These large groups can reach up to 10,000 individuals and are known as a “fever“.
MyIndianShores.com says that May through October is their mating season and that’s when you’re more likely to see them near the beach. Savvy beachgoers will do the Stingray Shuffle! It’s not a dance. It’s to keep from getting a potentially painful sting from the rays. By shuffling your feet during these months, you give the stingrays a chance to glide out of your way; and you help to avoid the chances of sustaining a painful sting.
Stingrays are closely-related to sharks, with bodies made of cartilage. They aren’t typically aggressive.
They camouflage well in the water and sandy sea floor, allowing them to surprise their food and also keep them hidden from predators like sharks.
Source: https://www.wtsp.com/
