Cownose Stingrays At Jersey Shore: Are They Dangerous?

Another relatively new thing has appeared in the ocean water at the Jersey Shore. Is it something you should be worried about?

This type of stingray has appeared at the Jersey Shore before. But now the cownose stingray has been showing up a lot more, and beachgoers have been seeing the animal with long and pointed pectoral fins a lot more frequently this summer.

Indeed, Manasquan resident Jamie Ragan told The Asbury Park Press he found himself in the middle of hundreds of rays while surfing with his kids July 19 at Seaside Place in Sea Girt. "(There were) so many they were bumping us. They looked like they were feeding on crabs, you could see areas easily where they were stirring up the sand," Ragan, 44, told the publication.

Marine experts told The Press the rays are relatively harmless to people, though their wings have been mistaken for shark fins and have forced an occasional beach closing. They also can sting.

From flesh-eating bacteria to rip currents, dangerous jellyfish and bacteria, New Jersey has had its share of risky things appearing in the water this summer. Read more: Unsafe For Swimming? Dangerous Things In NJ Waters This Summer

The stingrays, meanwhile, can stretch as far as Point Pleasant to Seaside, according to the publication. But the rays can also range from southern New England to northern Florida and the entire Gulf of Mexico.

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These stingrays occasionally jump out of the water, creating a loud smack, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Their snout is projecting and square, looking similar to a cow's nose. The tail is long and whip-like with a barb located near the base,

The tail of a cownose ray is roundish and about twice as long as its body from vent to tip. Rays can have one or two spines, but in cownose rays, it's just one, according to The Infinite Spider, a science and nature blog for naturalists and educators.

Their spine is close to the body and is located at the base of the dorsal fins. It is about 2-4 inches long, resting along the thickened base of the tail, according to the blog.

This location is much harder to step on or accidentally brush against than the tails of other species that have spines farther down, according to the blog. Because of where they swim and hang-out, you'd have to work pretty hard to get a cownose ray to sting you.

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