-Don't Ever Touch A Stingray

If you've been on the internet long enough, you've almost definitely watched this video. The man caught a baby stingray and proceeded to tickle the creature. Poor fish looked like it was holding back a fart. But did you know that it is very dangerous to even touch them, let alone tickle them? That's right, we are talking about a creature with a funny looking face and well, it seems to be quite harmless too. Yeah, that's what I once thought before I realized that this creature is what killed Steve Irwin. You heard me right, unless you don't know, for a man who made his living tangling with some of the most ferocious creatures on earth, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, met his end at the hands of an unlikely suspect. Irwin was filming a documentary off the coast of Queensland, Australia, when a short-tailed stingray swimming below him suddenly speared him through the chest with its dagger-like tail spine. The poisonous stinger punctured Irwin's heart, killing him almost instantly. Rest in peace, legend. But yeah, a docile looking creature was capable of killing a professional handler. That's why I always tell you to never judge a book by its cover. But as far as I know, stingrays generally aren't aggressive or dangerous. In fact, they have a reputation for being very gentle. They do not attack people and often burrow themselves beneath the sand in the shallows and swim in the open water. So why did the short-tailed stingray kill Steve Irwin? What makes these creatures so deadly? Stings, doesn't it? Stingrays are considered by most experts to be docile creatures, only attacking in self-defense. Most stingray-related injuries to humans occur to ankles and lower legs. When someone accidentally steps on a ray buried in the sand and the frightened fish flips up its dangerous tail. Yeah, only your dogs can tolerate being stepped on the tail. But with these guys, you are screwed. You should take a look at their tails. That's right. We're talking about a very, very sharp, two-sided serrated bread knife barb under the tail that can easily cut through your skin. This special bread knife is not for bread, in case you haven't noticed yet. That barb, also called a stinger, has two grooves in the middle that hold special cells which secrete venom into the flesh of the stingray's victims. When being stepped on, a stingray flips the tail, stiffening that sharp barb. Just a light brush is enough to cut through the skin and inject venom. The venom of a stingray is a largely protein-based toxin that causes great pain in mammals and may also alter heart rate and respiration. The venom is not necessarily fatal, but it hurts a lot. Usually, when you get stung by a ray in an area like the ankle, it can still be treated. But if you are unlucky, you might have to cut your legs off. And things only gonna get more serious if the venom enters the abdomen or chest cavity. The resulting tissue death of the wound can be fatal because of the major organs located nearby. If the spike enters the heart, as was reported to be the case in Steve Irwin's accident, the results are typically lethal. So, it is extremely dangerous in case you want to touch their tails. So, what happens if you accidentally get stung by a stingray? What would you do in that emergency situation? You, uh, pee on the wound? Why, you may ask? Well, in case you don't know, people sometimes get stung by jellyfish and they pee on the wound to neutralize the venom. Pee in the open bleeding wound? That does not sound nice at all, but why do people do that in the first place? Well, there is no truth to the myth that peeing on a jellyfish or stingray sting can make it feel better. Numerous studies have found that this simply doesn't work. One of the possible reasons for this myth becoming popular could be due to the fact that urine contains compounds like ammonia and urea. If used alone, these substances may be helpful for some stings. But because your apple juice contains a lot of water, the ammonia and urea become way too diluted to be effective. So, yeah, it's not the best idea to pee on your wound. Plus, you're on the beach with the entire crowd watching. Peeing is not ideal. So, if you are unlucky enough to become their victim, it's best to go straight to the hospital. Stingrays are sharks' favorite food, so it is common to come across a shark trying to attack a ray. The ray will then use its deadly whip rod to defend itself. But, all in all, stingrays are quite harmless and docile. Plus, how can you resist that smile? When it comes to hunting technique, stingrays can get very creative. They have no limbs, so sometimes stingrays will maneuver the water to create a stream in order to extract food stuck somewhere under a stone. For example, this ray has such a clever idea of pressing the fish against the glass and tries to suck it into its mouth. But don't worry. The fish is saved. Everything went well, except for the ray, because it obviously lost its meal. And, to target and catch prey, stingrays use their sense of smell, along with their electrical sensors, called ampullae of Lorenzini, located around the ray's mouth. These guys can detect tiny electric currents radiating from animals like shrimp and small fish without using their ears, nose, and eyes. Pretty cool, right? Sometimes, when they go hunting in packs, they approach each other to create a funnel with a swarm of plankton in the middle, creating a buffet. I gotta admit, seeing a swarm of stingrays swimming together is such a magnificent sight. So, what do you think about today's video? Be sure to let us know in the comment section below. And as usual, thank you so much for watching. Remember to subscribe to our channel, give us a big thumbs up, and turn on the notification bell so you won't miss anything from Wildpedia.