A smooth stingray (Dasyatis brevicaudata) swims gracefully in the waters of Mornington Peninsular, Victoria.

Also found in NZ and South Africa, their distribution lies between southern Queensland down through the southern states and around to the mid-coast of Western Australia.

A smooth stingray (Dasyatis brevicaudata) swims between two pylons about 2.5m apart, giving an idea of its size.

Smooth Ray (Dasyatis brevicaudata) glides near Rye Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Mistakenly called a bull ray, they are Australia’s largest stingray – growing to 2.1m wide and 4.3m long, and weighing up to 350kg.

A smooth ray seems almost bird-like in its graceful swimming style, as it hovers on near the bottom of the sea, near Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

The smooth ray was gliding over the top of marine biologist Richard Wylie when he took this picture. Scientists often use pictures from this angle to identify rays by their spot pattern, which is unique to each individual.

This smooth ray had a metal fishing hook stuck in its mouth. Just like many sea creatures, they are vulnerable to marine debris and risk becoming by-catch.

This smooth ray has had its tail removed at some point, leaving it defenceless if attacked by a shark or other predatory marine animal.

Spotted stingaree (Urolophus gigas), an uncommon stingray, in vegetated areas off the Victorian coastline.

Rays, which are closely related to sharks, have relatively small eyes compared to their body size, but they still manage to be quite expressive.