Open 9 am - 5 pm
Mangrove whiptail stingrays such as the one in Wild Reef can grow to a remarkable size, and spend most of their time cruising along the bottom of their habitats.

Stingrays

Stingrays are strong — and flat as a pancake! Found in tropical and subtropical seas around the world, as well as the Amazon basin, these bottom-feeding fishes rest undetected on seafloors or riverbeds.

A colorful logo reading SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction. The letters have been manipulated to look like animal parts.

Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE)

Stingrays are a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Saving Animals from Extinction (AZA SAFE) program.

Zoos and aquariums across the country are partnering to raise awareness for the conservation of threatened and endangered stingrays and the challenges they face in the wild like climate change.

More than eight cownose rays swim together in a shallow habitat for the popular Stingray Touch experience at Shedd.
A cownose ray gently glides up under a visitor's palm.

Ready for touch

Cownose rays are tactile animals—they naturally school together, brushing up against each other while swimming. This social status makes them a perfect fit for hands-on encounters at Stingray Touch.

No need to worry about the "sting" in the species' name. While wild stingrays have extendable spines to protect them from predators, at Shedd these "stingers" are harmlessly clipped, just like fingernails.

A cownose ray opens its mouth wide against a hand holding food

Ready to feed

Help feed these supple, strong—and flat as a pancake fishes by adding a Stingray Feeding for $5 ($4 for members). Give these bottom-feeders a fun seafood treat and watch them flap against each other and your fingers!

Available when Stingray Touch is open, with feeding times between 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. See a Shedd Team Member to add this experience when you arrive for $5 ($4 for members). Great for kids and adults 6+

Discover meal prep for cownose rays with aquarist Alice Bereman.

“There are so many animals people can’t get close to. This species is very gentle!”

Senior Aquarist Alice Bereman

Tiger Ray

Yellow Ray

Mangrove Whiptail

Spotted Ray