Stingray templates and outlines
While compiling this collection of templates, I did come to wonder, what is the difference between a manta ray and a stingray? Although they look very similar, there are actually quite a few differences between these animals.
Manta rays are much larger creatures, growing up to 23 feet in width. They have an open mouth shape at the front of their heads and live out in the open sea. They don’t have a barb to sting with, so they are completely harmless. They also live longer than sting rays, with a maximum lifespan of around 50 years. They eat small animals like krill and plankton.
The smaller stingrays can, of course, sting with their barbs and can potentially be lethal. They dwell on ocean floors where they sometimes bury themselves in the sand or low down on coral reefs. These rays tend to eat crustaceans and fish, their mouths have teeth and are on the underside of their bodies. Typically, some species can live up to 25 years, and they only grow up to 6 feet wide.
Things you can do with the sting ray templates and outlines
You more than likely have a plan for one or more of the printables if you have found your way to this page. If not, here are a few ideas you might like to try with your students or at home.
Underwater Murals. You can use these manta stingray templates to create an oceanic mural on a wall or even a poster on a large piece of card or paper. There are some other useful printables on this site to help with such an activity. Check out these pages for more sea creature shapes –
Writing frames. Use one of the blank outlines as a frame in which to write a poem or short story about rays or anything sea related.
Stencils. Cut out either the inside or the outside of the rays so that the pages can be used for stencilling.
Drawing and coloring. Typically, most rays are greys and blacks, but some stingrays do have the ability to change their colors like chameleons do. You can draw interesting designs on them or even attempt something like a mandala design.
Make models. By printing the stingray templates on cardboard, you can make fun models for kids. Cut the tail off separately or at a new one with a split pin so that it has a moving tail! You can also cut and bend the pectoral fins (the parts that look like wings) to make them movable too.
If you enjoyed the stingray templates and outlines, here are a couple of other activities that you may enjoy.
For more ocean arts and crafts fun, have a look at the paper turtle craft page, which has a variety of activities.
If you would like to speak about all things sea related, check out the ocean conversation questions.
Finally, there are the 40 ocean animal cards or flashcards that can be used to teach the names of different sea creatures
