Central Scrutinizer Posted September 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 A bit of info on the stingray and it's poisonous barb. ------------------- Never underestimate the penetrating ability of a stingrayâ??s barb, even on the smallest of stingrays. The stingrayâ??s barb is designed to penetrate virtually all sorts of dense materials, including wood and leather. And as unbelievable as it may seem, itâ??s been documented that large stingrays are able to drive a barb through a boatâ??s wooden planks or completely through a persons arm or leg. According to Dr. Shipp, when a stingray strikes, it either removes its barb entirely, or breaks it off inside of the victim. When this occurs, doctors must probe the wound to make sure all particles have been removed, so the injury will not result in gangrene. In cases where the barb deeply penetrated, the wound must be enlarged to make sure it is properly cleaned. Aside from the pain and serious laceration caused by the razor-sharp barb, which can sever arteries and possibly an Achilles tendon, a poison is released that can produce a drastic decrease in blood pressure, increased pulse, dizziness and possible shock. 5,000 stingray attacks are reported in the United States alone each year ------------------------ taken from www.jerrylabella.com/stingray.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evel_Penivel Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 It's very sad indeed. He leaves a young family behind. A four-year-old niece of mine will be heart-broken. She loved him and his nature programs and even began using the word "Crikey."Here's one more link with details: Steve Irwin - CNN. Evel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanddawg1 Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 I agree with you even though Iâ??m an American not an Aussie I was not a fan. Being raised around some dangerous wildlife myself and being taught to give rightful distance; I found some of his antics idiotic. Not to mention the â??bad ideasâ? he put in kids heads about mishandling dangerous wildlife; wonder how many bites and stings could be attributed to kids watching his show. You know they did not read the flash disclaimer. But anyway. S1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 A bit of info on the stingray and it's poisonous barb. ------------------- Never underestimate the penetrating ability of a stingrayâ??s barb, even on the smallest of stingrays. The stingrayâ??s barb is designed to penetrate virtually all sorts of dense materials, including wood and leather. And as unbelievable as it may seem, itâ??s been documented that large stingrays are able to drive a barb through a boatâ??s wooden planks or completely through a persons arm or leg. According to Dr. Shipp, when a stingray strikes, it either removes its barb entirely, or breaks it off inside of the victim. When this occurs, doctors must probe the wound to make sure all particles have been removed, so the injury will not result in gangrene. In cases where the barb deeply penetrated, the wound must be enlarged to make sure it is properly cleaned. Aside from the pain and serious laceration caused by the razor-sharp barb, which can sever arteries and possibly an Achilles tendon, a poison is released that can produce a drastic decrease in blood pressure, increased pulse, dizziness and possible shock. 5,000 stingray attacks are reported in the United States alone each year ------------------------ taken from www.jerrylabella.com/stingray.html They can inflict quite a nasty injury, I've lived around the sea most of my life and met a few people who have been attacked. The sting is rarely fatal but painful and the chance of infection very high. I met a guy in the Torres Straits once who had a barb go right through his foot breaking several bones leaving him with a bad limp and a disfigured foot. I've caught them up to a metre across, usually releasing them, as the sensible option to bringing them in the boat, but disected a couple of small ones to find the barb was still about seven cms long. Not bad eating actually, no bones only a mesh like cartilage. Good sport when hooked too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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