Stingrays are commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas. They spend the majority of their time inactive, somewhat buried in sand, habitually moving only with the wave of the tide. The stingray's coloration commonly reflects the seafloor's shading, camouflaging it from voracious sharks and larger rays. Their flattened bodies are composed of pectoral fins joined to their head and trunk with an legendary tail trailing at the back.
When a stingray attacks, it needs to be facing its victim, because all it does is flip its long tail upward over its body so it strikes whatever is in front of it. The ray doesn't have straight managed over the sting mechanism, only over the tail. In most cases, when the sting enters a person's body, the pressure causes the protective sheath to tear. When the sheath tears, the sharp, serrated edges of the spine sink in and venom flows into the wound causing a serious damage. The most vicious part of the sting mechanism can actually be the barbs on the spine. Even if venom weren't involved at all, pulling the spike out of a human's chest or abdomen could be enough to cause death from the massive tearing of tissue.
