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| CRIKEY! Since September 4, 2006, most people make a correlation between stingrays and Steve Irwin: Crocodile Hunter. On September 4, 2006, animal-enthusiast and conservationist, Steve Irwin, was killed while filming a special called "Ocean's Deadliest" between Australia's Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef. A stingray, feeling threatened by his presence, stabbed Irwin through the heart with its venomous barb. Irwin was killed instantly. |
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First Aid in the Event of a Stingray Attack First of all, it is very important to realize that stingrays will not use their barbs as a defense mechanism. Stingray attacks are extremely rare because, most of the time, they will swim away from humans if they feel threatened. Step 1: Immediately call for medical attention. Step 2: Control the bleeding as much as possible. Step 3: Do NOT remove the barb. Doing so can actually do more harm than good. The serrated edges of the barb can cause more lacerations, allowing more venom into your body. Step 4: Immerse the wound in the hottest tolerable water for 30-90 minutes. This helps to reduce the ability for the venom to poison your body. Step 5: Give analgesics. Step 6: Clean the wound and give antiseptics. A great way to ensure prevention of stingray-causing injuries is to avoid stingrays in their natural environment as much as possible. Also, when walking in shallow water, it helps to shuffle your feet, warning the rays that you are near. |
| "Mom, can we keep him??" Today, more and more people are keeping stingrays as pets. Unfortunately, keeping a ray as a pet is a lot of hard work. They need a lot of attention. Also, by encasing the stingray in a tank (which can sometime be up to 230 gallons) you can greatly reduce the lifespan. Many pet owners agree that they've experienced what they call "Sudden Ray Death." The stingray seems to die for no reason. Even if you think it would be a great conversation piece to own a stingray as a pet, they are high maintenance, expensive, and difficult to take care of. |
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Cleaning Time Stingrays can be seen at cleaner stations when small cleaner fish enter the rays spiracles and remove any parasites that may be living there. |
| Say "Ahh..." Hammerhead Sharks are stingrays' most frequent predators. A stingray's number one defense against an animal that is so large in comparison to their own size is their stinging barb. Hammerheads have been found with as many as twenty stingray barbs embedded in their throats! |
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