~Dazy Life~

Stingrays

As u guys already know, Steve Irwin passed away on 4th September, 2006. He was killed in a freak accident when filming a television programme on the Great Barrier Reef off far north Queensland.

Irwin was killed almost instantly when the stingray stabbed him in the heart with its poisonous 20cm barb as he snorkelled off Port Douglas. He was pulled from the water by a cameraman and a crewman, put on an inflatable tender and taken to a support boat about 500m away. Crewmembers said he was barely conscious in the minutes after the sting, but died as his production team rushed him to his vessel, Croc One, and to a nearby island for emergency treatment.

A charter dive boat crew desperately tried to revive him on the beach, but were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards by Queensland Rescue Service officers, who had flown to the area by helicopter. According to his life-long friend, John Stainton who had viewed footage of his friend's last moments, the Crocodile Hunter pulled a deadly stingray barb from his own chest before losing consciousness and dying.

"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone. That was it. The cameraman had to shut down", he said.

One of Irwin's contemporaries, internationally known cameraman and spearfisherman Ben Cropp, was in his own boat off Port Douglas when Irwin was killed. Mr Cropp said the stingray was spooked and went into defensive mood.

"It probably felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead, and it felt there was danger and it baulked. It stopped and went into a defensive mode and swung its tail with the spike. Steve unfortunately was in a bad position and copped it. I have had that happen to me, and I can visualise it - when a ray goes into defensive, you get out of the way. Steve was so close he could not get away, so if you can imagine it - being right beside the ray and it swinging its spine upwards from underneath Steve - and it hit him. I have seen that sort of reaction with rays - with their tail breaking the water, such is the force."

Stingrays have a serrated, toxin-loaded barb, or spine, on the top of their tail. The barb, which can be up to 10 inches long, flexes if a ray is frightened. Stings usually occur to people when they step on or swim too close to a ray and can be excruciatingly painful but are rarely fatal, said University of Queensland marine neuroscientist Shaun Collin.

Collin said he suspected Irwin died because the barb pierced under his ribcage and directly into his heart.

"It was extraordinarily bad luck. It's not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare," Collin said.

Steve Irwin's death is a great loss to Australia, with everyone labelling him as invincible. Of course, channel Animal Planet will have one less fabulous programme to broadcast. It's sad to see him leave the world at age 44, leaving behind his wife n two young children.

After his death, everyone asked me how the heck can a stingray kill?? Hmm, I guess people only know how to eat the fish but is unaware of how dangerous it is. Bedok85 BBQ stingray anyone? For one, this fish is pretty "toxic" n it's not advisable for pregnant women to eat it. There are about 200 species of stingrays. Stingrays come in two different general "types" - the "benthic" (or bottom) stingrays and the "pelagic" (or swimming) stingrays.

Benthic rays, such as the Atlantic stingray pictured above, are often found buried in the sand. They usually have a rounded or "diamond-shaped" body and their stings, when present, are located near the middle or lower third of their "tail." As mostly bottom feeders, these rays generally feed on worms, clams, shrimp, crabs, snails and occasionally fish.

Pelagic rays, like the spotted eagle ray (left) and manta ray (right) above, are more active swimmers that have a "bat-like" shape. Pelagic stingrays have stings that are located close to the body, just behind their pelvic fins. Like bottom rays, most pelagic rays also feed largely on bottom-dwelling organisms. However, the devil rays are mainly plankton feeders and use paddle-like cephalic or "head" lobes to direct plankton-rich water into their mouths.

The venom apparatus or "sting" of a stingray is a spine or modified dermal denticle (the scales covering sharks and stingrays) with two ventral grooves filled with venom-producing tissue. The venom apparatus is surrounded by a cell-rich covering or sheath that also may produce lesser amounts of venom. The venom itself is a largely protein-based toxin that causes great pain in mammals and may also alter heart rate and respiration. However, since it is proteinaceous, it can be inactivated by exposure to high temperatures. Because of this, immersion of the wound in hot water or application of a heat compress are recommended as an immediate treatment for unfortunate victims of a stingray injury or "envenomation." Although this may reduce the initial pain of a stingray injury, victims should still obtain medical assistance so that the wound can be properly examined and cleaned to avoid secondary infections or other complications.

As mentioned above, the sting on most pelagic stingrays is situated near the base of the tail. This may discourage predators from biting the animal near its vital organs. In contrast, the sting of most bottom-dwelling stingrays is located further away from the body, making it a more effective and dangerous "striking" weapon. However, it should be pointed out that the sting is purely a defensive weapon only and that the "striking" action is an involuntary response rather than a conscious "attack."

Steve Irwin, 1962-2006

Sad stuff aside, ystd was me n MQ's 3rd month. Hmm, a quarter of a year gone in a breeze. She cooked dinner for me. Nothing bombastic, just a simple meal, but i truely appreciate her effort. Thank you girl.. =)

Some overdue pics from Angela during the class gathering