Each month, we get to know one of the state’s many wonderful and quirky critters .

Latin Name: Narcine bancroftii

Size: About eighteen inches long and eight inches wide

Habitat: Shallow waters of the Gulf

Lesser this ray may be, but it can still seriously disrupt a contemplative walk on the beach. Whereas the stingray, a close relative, typically uses a venomous barb on its tail to stun prey and defend itself from predators—or from waders lost in reverie—this numbfish (as this family of rays is called) can deliver an electric shock using organs on its back, like a saltwater superhero. Do not be fooled by its charming emoji-like markings.

How much of a shock can it produce?

Though the most powerful electric ray, the Atlantic torpedo, can generate a deadly 220 volts, the lesser

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