Alex -
Sorry for the tardy reply - having technology issues...As far as the stingray mating is concerned...Encountering it is not a common occurance, however Sandbar is the place to try. From past observations (made in Bahamas & Belize) southern stingrays seem to have a mating period usually occurring in late summer/early fall (August-Sept. is on the money) just following when they drop their litters. At Sandbar we encountered pregnant females throughout the year as opposed to just during the late summer/fall and matings were observed at other times of the year. This may be due to the supplemental feeding - we are in the process of disemminating the data for further publications ( the Chapman et al paper came out of my lab and our project). If you want a stingray mating shot Sandbar may up your chances but you still will need a good deal of luck...I spent extensive time in th Caymans for our stingray project and have yet to see a successful mating...Best of luck! I am going down to see Guy at the end of the month and present a film on our stingray work at the Int. Diving Hall of Fame Film Festival...I will be making a trip out to Sandbar to retrieve some scientific equipment we have in the area and of course to take some more shots...Hopefully I can share a few more soon...
Regards...
- MP
