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About the Stingray
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Stingray belongs to the Dasyatidae family. The whipray and river
stingrays also belong to the same family. Most Dasyatids are neither
threatened nor endangered.
In this family the disc stretches forward to include the head, and
ranges from less than 30 cm to over 2 m in diameter. Stingrays can be
found in all tropical and subtropical seas. River rays form a freshwater
subfamily of Dasyatidae, and live only in fresh water in parts of South
America and Africa. Most stingrays are benthic, burying themselves
partially under sand or mud in relatively shallow water. This habit
makes it easy to accidentally step on them, and the sting they deliver
in defense has made stingrays famous.
Dasyatids swim with a "flying" motion, propelled by the motion of their
large pectoral wings. Their stinger is a razor-sharp, barbed or serrated
cartilaginous spine which grows from the ray's whip-like tail, and can
grow as long as 37 cm. On the underside of the spine are two grooves
containing venom-secreting glandular tissue. The entire spine is covered
with a thin layer of skin, in which venom is concentrated. This gives
them their common name of stingrays, but the name can also be used to
refer to any poisonous ray.
Dasyatids generally do not attack aggressively or even actively defend
themselves. When threatened, their primary reaction is to swim away.
However, when they are attacked by predators or stepped on, the barbed
stinger in their tail is mechanically whipped up.
Feeding habit
Since their eyes are on top of the body and their mouths on the bottom,
stingrays cannot see their prey. Instead, they use the sense of smell
and electro-receptors, similar to those of the shark. They feed primarily
on molluscs and crustaceans and occasionally on small fish. Their mouths
contain powerful, shell-crushing teeth. Rays settle on the bottom while
feeding, sometimes leaving only their eyes and tail visible.
What to do if attacked by a stingray?
The death of Steve Irwin, the famed "crocodile hunter," came as a shock to
his legions of fans. In general, attacks by venomous stingrays are rare and
usually occur when a person accidentally steps on one in shallow water. Most
nonfatal injuries are to the legs or feet, and doctors recommend washing the
wound in hot water to destroy any venom and to relieve pain. Then, seek medical
help.
Deaths like Irwin's are extremely rare a stingray barb plunged into his chest
and removed. In that case, the potential for complications is so great that only
a doctor should attempt removal. Because the barbs are serrated, they tear at the
flesh when removed, and its unlikely that pulling them out will lower exposure
to any venom. Sharp objects can also act as plugs that stem excessive bleeding
until help arrives, said Dr. Adam E. Saltman, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Maimonides
Medical Center in Brooklyn. If embedded, a stingray barb should only be removed by a
doctor.
How deadly is the stingray?
The barbed tail of stingray delivers venom that causes excruciating pain, but it
almost never kills. No one really knows the exact number but several different
figures of the number of recorded stingray-related fatalities have surfaced in the
media, and the highest number is less than 30.
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