Elkhorn Slough Elasmobranch Project
Species List: Round Stingray

The round stingray, Urolophus halleri, is also known as the California stingray. This species occurs from Humboldt Bay in Northern California, the Gulf of California and all the way down to Central America.

Round stingrays are considered abundant in Southern California and Northern Baja California. They travel in shallow tidal waters and depths up to 70 feet. They like shallow, sandy areas for foraging and socializing and often gather in groups.

These rays have been observed to mate in the slough. Adults can be 22 cm (9 inches) not including the tail.  At 20 cm they weight around 1.5 lbs. Mating occurs from May to June and in December. There are one to six pups, these are approximately 3 inches wide at birth. It is estimated that sexual maturity is reached in 2.6 to 3 years.

• Mature males found during winter months, but rarely throughout the rest of the year (Talent, 1985)
• During Talent's study (1985) only one individual out of the 48 captured was female, and no juveniles were captured
• Mature males have sexually dimorphic dentition (Nordell, 1994)