Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Stingrays

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Tue 26 May 2009 21:34

Stingrays

Up we jumped, breakfasted, on the road by 09:45 for the forty-five minute drive to Seatons, we arrived in plenty of time for the arranged 10:45 briefing, swim with the Stingrays at 11:00.

As Jump was doing an impression of a red-knee frog, plenty of 80 factor was slathered on. All ready for the off complete with hat.

At 11:00 the three of us and a German couple celebrating their 25th Wedding Anniversary were sped across the lagoon. Hat back in the wind then flopped to show the detail - 'Jump Jet - not to be trusted' - a reference to her inability to add sun block unless severely nagged. Strange really when that someone has to apply 80 factor and still get burnt bits.

We had our lesson in holding these beautiful creatures.

Bear and Jump having fun, but look at just how many rays are behind them. The important thing for us was these Stingrays have the freedom to come and go as they please. The lads at Stingray City have come out at 10:00, 11:00 and 13:00 each and every day for the last seven years - that's 365 days a year, whether there are tourists or not. They have no control over how many appear for feeding. We had to sign waivers as part of our briefing and it is clearly pointed out that the rays are wild. They just happen to like the regular feeding of squid, saving them much floor hoovering.

There was only one boy, much smaller than the females. One of the chaps lifted the TWO 'things' that make it a male. The eye and the infamous barb. What we had to realise is the fact that the stingray has no control over the barb, it just happens to be there half way along the tail - therefore it was important for us to shuffle not step. Rays have one bone all the way down the back through to the end of the tail.

This lady was happy to show her flying skills whilst sneaking a hug.

Stingrays are a family, Dasyatidae of rays, cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are common in coastal tropical marine waters throughout the world, and several species are known to enter fresh water. Other types of rays also referred to as "stingrays" are the river stingrays (family Potamotrygonidae), the round stingrays (families Urolophidae and Urotrygonidae), the sixgill stingray (family Hexatrygonidae), and the deepwater stingray (family Plesiobatidae). For clarity, the members of the family Dasyatidae are sometimes called "whip-tail stingrays".

While most dasyatids are relatively widespread and not currently threatened, there are several species (for example Taeniura meyeni, Dasyatis colarensis, Dasyatis garouaensis, and Dasyatis laosensis) where the conservation status is more problematic, leading to them being listed as vulnerable or endangered by IUCN. The status of several other species are poorly known, leading to them being listed as Data Deficient.

Stingray can be 35 feet long.

Depending on the size of the stingray, humans are usually stung in the foot region. It is less likely to be stung by brushing against the stinger. Surfers and those who enter waters with large populations of stingrays have learned to slide their feet through the sand rather than stepping, as the rays detect this and swim away. Stamping hard on the bottom as one treads through murky water will also cause them to swim away.

One ray decided to jump the queue at feeding time.

Humans who harass stingrays have been known to be stung elsewhere, sometimes leading to fatalities. The stinger usually breaks off in the wound. This is not fatal to the stingray as it will be regrown at a rate close to that of human fingernails (about .5-.75 inches per month). Contact with the stinger causes local trauma (from the cut itself), pain and swelling from the venom, and possible later infection from bacteria. Immediate injuries to humans include, but are not limited to: poisoning, punctures, severed arteries, and possibly death. Fatal stings are very rare, but can happen. In Greek mythology, Odysseus, the great king of Ithaca, was killed when his son, Telegonus, struck him using a spear tipped with the spine of a stingray.

Treatment for stings includes application of near-scalding water, which helps ease pain by denaturing the complex venom protein, and antibiotics. Immediate injection of a local anaesthetic in and around the wound is very helpful, as is the use of opiates such as intramuscular pethidine. Local anesthetic brings almost instant relief for several hours. Any warm to hot fluid, including urine, may provide some relief. Vinegar and papain are ineffective. Pain normally lasts up to 48 hours, but is most severe in the first 30–60 minutes and may be accompanied by nausea, fatigue, headaches, fever, and chills. All stingray injuries should be medically assessed; the wound needs to be thoroughly cleaned, and surgical exploration is often required to remove any barb fragments remaining in the wound. Following cleaning, an ultrasound is helpful to confirm removal of all the fragments. Not all remnants are radio-opaque; but x-ray radiography imaging may be helpful where ultrasound is not available.

This guide spent a lot of time explaining rays to us, he was so relaxed with them, they sensed his ease and each one he held stayed with him for ages. At any point they could just 'fly' off. Jump having a stroke.

Reproduction: The mating season occurs in the winter. When a male is courting a female, he will follow her closely, biting at her pectoral disc. Most rays are ovoviviparous, bearing live young in "litters" of five to thirteen. The female holds the embryos in the womb without a placenta. Instead, the embryos absorb nutrients from a yolk sac, and after the sac is depleted, the mother provides uterine "milk".

Stingrays are usually very docile, their usual reaction being to flee any disturbance. Nevertheless, certain larger species may be more aggressive and should only be approached with caution by humans, as the stingray's defensive reflex may result in serious injury or death.

Stingrays are commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas. They spend the majority of their time inactive, partially buried in sand, often moving only with the sway of the tide. The stingray's coloration commonly reflects the seafloor's shading, camouflaging it from predatory sharks and larger rays. Their flattened bodies are composed of pectoral fins joined to their head and trunk with an infamous tail trailing behind.

The eye up close, the underbelly and the fin that allows reverse gear.

While the stingray's eyes peer out from its dorsal side, its mouth, nostrils, and gill slits are situated on its underbelly. Its eyes are therefore not thought by scientists to play a considerable role in hunting. Like its shark relatives, the stingray is outfitted with electrical sensors called ampullae of Lorenzini. Located around the stingray's mouth, these organs sense the natural electrical charges of potential prey. Many rays have jaw teeth to enable them to crush molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels.

Stingray 'in flight', digging in to sleep after feeding, the southern rays that we swam with.

When they are inclined to move, most stingrays swim by undulating their bodies like a wave; others flap their sides like wings. The tail may also be used to manoeuvre in the water, but its primary purpose is protection.

One of our fed ladies buried herself for a snooze to digest her meal, they need about an hour quality zeds. They back in, wiggling as they go until just their eyes and tail are showing, you can see how we could accidentally step on them.