3D-printed stingray spines reveal huge diversity among species

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-02 09:01

International

Stingray spines CREDIT: Emily Poulin & Christopher Martinez

Stingrays use their spines to defend themselves, and the spine's shape differs between species depending on the predators they face. International researchers built 3D spine models of 30 species and found a trade-off: sharper spines produce deeper punctures but may snap off inside a predator, while sturdier spines resist breakage but inflict less damage. The sturdier spines are often seen in freshwater stingrays, the team adds, and this might be because marine stingrays have fewer places to hide, meaning they need to do more damage in one strike to survive, at a cost to their spines.

News release

From: The Royal Society

Stingray spine diversity reflects performance trade-offs linked to puncture and breakability

Stingrays live in marine and freshwater environments and face many different predators, from sharks to river dolphins. To survive, they have evolved a remarkable diversity of defensive spines. By comparing spine shape and performance across 30 stingray species, this study identified a major pattern of variation linking spine form to defensive function. Some spines are shaped for deep puncture and may snap off inside predators, while others better resist breakage and may be reused across multiple defensive encounters. These findings help explain how predator-prey interactions and structural constraints have shaped the evolution of one of nature’s most iconic defensive weapons.

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Research The Royal Society, Web page The URL will go live at some point after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of California Irvine, USA

Funder: No funding has been received for this article.

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