 Encountered singly or in " social " groups , the common stingray appears to segregate by sex to some degree and may be more active at night , tending to bury itself in sediment during daytime . It feeds on a wide variety of bottom @-@ dwelling organisms , including crustaceans , cephalopods , bivalves , polychaete worms , and small bony fishes . It is reportedly does great damage to cultured shellfish beds . One study in the Gulf of İskenderun off Turkey found that crustaceans comprised some 99 % of its diet , with fish prey becoming increasingly important with age . Another study off the coast of Cilicia , Turkey , found the most important dietary component to be the penaeid shrimp Metapenaeus stebbingi , followed by the pistol shrimp Alpheus glaber and the swimming crab Charybdis longicollis ; cephalopods were relatively important for males , while fishes were important for females . Common stingrays have been observed closely following each other in the presence of food , possibly to take advantage of other individuals ' foraging success . 
