Almost all seas are inhabited by stingrays. They do not attack people themselves, but if you step on a stingray that is hiding at the bottom of the sea, they can be given a strong prick by their spine, and the poison inside the spine can be introduced into the wound. To avoid accidental contact with a stingray, it is recommended to walk on the seabed, keeping your feet on the sand, in their habitats. In addition, it is important to always look at your step. If you are pricked by a stingray - first aid and treatment of the wound.
When an electric organ is discharged, the current voltage varies greatly among different stingrays and ranges from 8 to 220 V. An electric shock from a stingray is very unpleasant, and sometimes it can lead to paralytic shock.
Wound treatment if stingray pricked
The stingray blends in perfectly with its surroundings, which is why it is sometimes very difficult to notice it.
- After an injection by a stingray, bleeding and acute pain may occur.
- A tumor may appear in the wound area. In addition, it can change color.
- Lymph nodes may also become swollen or other body reactions may occur.
If you were unable to avoid injury from a stingray, the wound should be washed fresh water. After this, the visible remains of the stingray spine should be carefully removed from the wound, then the wound is washed clean water with soap. Treatment of the wound, if the stingray has pricked, should be completed by applying a bandage to the wound and seeking medical help.
First aid after a stingray bite
After any burn, bite or wound, tragic consequences can develop if a person experiences an overreaction to toxins, or if the wound becomes infected. After any incident that happened under water, it is necessary to monitor the body’s reaction. If appeared:
- various tumors,
- dizziness,
- blurred vision
- breathing problems,
- weakness,
- muscle pain,
- cold sweat and rapid heartbeat,
That You should immediately call an ambulance.
Stingrays are a family cartilaginous fish, which belongs to the order caudal-shaped. They live in almost all seas and oceans. They feel great in a very wide temperature range, ranging from 1.5°C to 30°C. Some species are common in shallow waters, others are found at depths of up to 2500 meters. There are even stingrays that prefer to live in fresh water.
Stingrays have a well-defined tail, which appearance resembles a whip. Its length in some species exceeds half the total length of the fish. The tail ends in one or two jagged spines, along which are often grooves containing poisonous glands. The length of the spine can reach up to 37 cm. Thanks to the powerful tail muscles and exceptionally hard spines, the stingray can easily pierce a wetsuit, a leg, and the bottom of a wooden boat.
It is noteworthy that the stingray uses its tail exclusively for self-defense, since its more than modest teeth are completely unable to cope with such protective functions. When danger arises, the stingray makes sharp lunges upward and forward with its tail, and the spike pierces the enemy.
How to protect yourself from contact with a stingray
Firstly, in areas where stingrays are common, enter the water gradually, do not sneak, but shuffle along the bottom with your feet to scare off a hunter who could bury himself in the sand waiting for a suitable meal. Take special care in shallow bays, river mouths, and near beaches, that is, in places that stingrays choose for hunting.
Secondly, swim in special shoes.
Thirdly, do not go into the water at night.
Fourthly, be vigilant while diving, do not tease or pester the stingrays.
Fifthly, when you find a stingray, make some noise, wave your foot several times under water, and try to scare it away.
Sixth, carefully cut the stingray carcass when using it for culinary purposes. The venom of even a dead stingray continues to pose a danger to humans.
What are the consequences of a stingray injection?
The venom of stingrays has a neurotropic effect, causing instant burning and throbbing pain in the damaged area, the peak of which is observed after 1-1.5 hours. Painful sensations may persist for several days, gradually fading over the next 6-48 hours. They can be so pronounced that the victims begin to scream and rush about. In such cases, even loss of consciousness is possible.
Contact with a stingray, in addition to pain, is also accompanied by the following symptoms:
- paleness and subsequent redness or bluish discoloration of the skin around the wound,
- nausea,
- dizziness,
- chills,
- increased body temperature,
- weakness,
- drop in blood pressure,
- a sharp increase in heart rate,
- the appearance of anxiety.
Less commonly, lymph nodes may become enlarged, sweating may increase, pain in the groin and armpits, vomiting and diarrhea may occur. In severe cases, there is a high probability of convulsions, breathing problems, and the victim may become delirious and lose consciousness.
The greatest danger comes from large individuals that have big amount poison and a powerful thorn. Death observed mainly when wounded in the chest or abdomen.
Plus, the thorn of a stingray, as a rule, leads to a laceration that bleeds profusely. Debris from its coating may remain in the wound, thereby increasing the risk of infection. In this case, the color of the edges of the wound often changes, tissue is destroyed, and pronounced swelling appears.
What not to do when injecting a stingray
Under no circumstances should you jerk out the thorn fragments stuck in the wound. If removed incorrectly, the teeth on the spike may cause additional injury to the victim.
You should also not cut the wounds. Such actions do not remove the poison, but only unnecessarily injure the victim.
Do not inject a solution of potassium permanganate or any other strong oxidizing agents into the wound.
It is prohibited to use alcoholic drinks, which only aggravate the situation, accelerating the spread and absorption of the poison.
What measures can be taken when injecting a stingray?
While waiting for a doctor or on the way to the nearest medical institution the victim can and should be given first aid.
1. First of all, you should suck out the poison from small puncture wounds during the first 10 minutes after the injection, spitting it out periodically. This can only be done if there is no damage to the oral cavity sucking. At the end of the procedure, the mouth must be rinsed with a solution of potassium permanganate or just clean water.
2. To reduce the concentration of poison and ease the pain, the wound also needs to be washed sea water in large quantities.
3. After this, you should carefully remove the remaining fragments of the spike that are directed backwards. In this case, you should move them forward a little and turn them slightly to unhook the prong from the fabric, and only then remove them.
4. Taking hot baths is recommended. First, apply a pressure bandage above the wound and lower the pricked limb for 30-60 minutes in hot water, the temperature of which is slightly below the burn threshold. You can add 3% magnesium sulfate to the water. Every 10 minutes, the pressure bandage should be loosened and tightened again.
5. Finally, it is necessary to apply an antiseptic bandage and immobilize the limb.
- On the coast North America Every year, about 750 people suffer from stingray stings.
- Deaths are recorded in 1% of cases of contact with stingrays.
- Contact with a stingray proved fatal for popular Australian naturalist and television presenter Steve Irwin.
- Indians, Malays, Australian Aborigines and Pacific Islanders Indian Oceans used stingray spines as tips for their spears and arrows. And since a stingray can grow a new spine several times during its life, the natives even raised stingrays.
- Pliny the Elder in his " Natural history"compared the stingray's spine to a formidable weapon that can kill a tree and pierce armor.
Bluespotted stingray belongs to the family of cartilaginous fish (lat. Dasyatidae) of the caudal-shaped superorder of stingrays.
This beautiful stingray with large bright blue spots on its oval body and blue stripes on the sides along the tail is found throughout the Red Sea. Its snout is rounded, slightly extended forward, forming a smooth acute angle. The disc is very wide, the tail at the base is thick, powerful, and towards the end it tapers, thin and pointed, approximately twice as long as the body. The back is predominantly olive green with grey-brown hues, the underparts are white. The skin is smooth, without scales and numerous small spines.
On the upper surface of the tail, closer to its end, there is a sharp, flattened, dagger-like spike, the length of which can reach 37 cm. The edges of the spike are covered with rough notches. The base of the spine is attached directly to the skin and lies back on the surface of the tail with its tip. Along the lower surface of the spine there is a groove in which cells that secrete a poisonous secretion are located.
The stingray's spine is formidable weapon and is used by him for defense. Large reef sharks, which are the main enemies of stingrays, often wear fragments of spines on their heads, indicating past skirmishes. The spike itself is motionless, but by acting with its tail like a whip, the stingray can deliver very powerful blows. The force of the blow is such that the spike easily pierces leather shoes or several layers of clothing and penetrates deeply into the body of a person who accidentally disturbed a stingray lying somewhere near the beach. Poison penetrating puncture wound, is very toxic and causes sharp spasmodic pain. Wherein blood pressure falls, palpitations occur, vomiting begins, and muscle paralysis is sometimes observed. There are known cases where stingray stingray injections resulted in death.
Indians Central America Spearheads and daggers are made from the thorns of stingrays, and drums are covered with leather. The stingray's spine instills fear in fishermen; if a stingray gets caught in their net, they cut off its tail and only then release the crippled animal back into the sea. On the Internet you can find a small number of photographs of the Blue-spotted Stingray with a severed tail. For example this one:
Lives in the Indo-Pacific region: in the Red Sea, off the coast East Africa to the Solomon Islands, from the southern tip Japanese Islands before north coast Australia. Leads a bottom-dwelling lifestyle, almost never rising into the water column, prefers shallow water, but is also found at depths of up to 20 meters.
Found on coral reefs, during high tides, migrates to sandy shallow waters in search of shellfish, worms, shrimp and crabs. During low tide it hides in grottoes or under coral ledges, rarely buries itself in the sand.
Small specimens of stingrays are popular among marine aquarists - several photographs of this ray were taken at the El Gouna Aquarium.
The maximum diameter of the disc does not exceed 70 cm. There are reports of giant Blue-spotted stingrays - up to 240 cm, but these are probably erroneous (FishBase.org).
The blue-spotted stingray is an ovoviviparous species. Babies developing in the womb, in addition to being nourished by the yolk of the egg, also receive royal jelly, rich in proteins, which is secreted by special outgrowths located on the walls of the uterus. Bundles of such outgrowths penetrate the sputum of the embryos, and the nutrient fluid enters directly into the digestive tract.
Stingray liver contains approximately 60% fat, rich in vitamin D. In some regions it is used in medicine and to obtain fish oil. The meat is edible, they are caught on a hook or hit with a harpoon, but wide commercial value he does not have. In Singapore and Malaysia, stingrays are grilled over charcoal and then served with spicy sambal sauce.
Sources:
- FishBase.org
- Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p.
- Wikipedia
Undersea world The seas are full of a variety of marine animals. But are they all so good-natured and ready to please when communicating with them? IN sea depths There are some animals that can cause a lot of trouble. Dangerous sea creatures much less than those that live on land, but it is better to always be prepared for such a meeting. Predatory sea fish The stingray is one of the animals that you should be careful of.
Differ in some ways distinctive features. As a rule, such fish have spines and spines on the dorsal and gill fins, head and tail. A lumpy body and the presence of sharp teeth indicate that it is necessary to stay away from such an animal.
The stingray belongs to the subclass of cartilaginous fish. The skeleton and skull of the stingray are made of cartilaginous tissue; the very name of the stingray speaks of its characteristic feature. The teeth of a stingray are modified plates of scales; the stingray does not have gill covers, and nature has not endowed them with a swim bladder. The length of the slope reaches several meters.
For most of their lives, stingrays lead a benthic lifestyle, lying on the surface of the bottom or partially buried in the sand. Burying itself in the sand, the stingray camouflages itself, which helps it unexpectedly attack its prey. Lying motionless, the stingray watches for various crustaceans and mollusks, and woe to anyone who approaches the hunter close quarters. The breathing of a stingray occurs in a unique way. Inhalation is made through special openings on the back, and exhalation through gill slits on abdominal cavity. Diversity stingrays very large - from small and harmless to huge sea monsters, the weight of which can reach one and a half tons.
Poisonous stingray
The stingray belongs to a family of 30 species. This slope reaches two meters in length and five meters in width. The tail is equipped with two to four sharp spines, which, like the teeth, are outgrowths of scale plates. In large stingrays, the spine reaches a size of 40 cm in length, in calm state covered with a leathery sheath that covers the poisonous glands. The stingray uses a spike when attacking its victim, the cover is pulled back and a poisonous spike with two grooves is exposed. The victim is struck with a thorn and poison enters the victim's wound; sometimes upon impact the thorn breaks off and remains in the victim's wound. The impacts of the spike are so strong that they can pierce the shoes of an unwary swimmer or a swimmer's wetsuit.
A stingray will never use its weapon against a person. Most accidents occur due to the negligence of people themselves. A stingray can perfectly camouflage itself, and often a person, without noticing it, becomes the target of an attack. When walking in shallow water, make more noise with your feet, this procedure will scare away the stingray and it will leave its place. Particular care must be taken by scuba divers who swim near the bottom and lift various objects.
Lacerations are quite painful, take a long time to heal, and cause serious infections. The spine of a stingray can pierce a large blood vessel, the bleeding in this case is quite difficult to stop, which leads to large blood loss. Stingray venom in a wound causes severe pain, convulsions, breathing and heart activity are impaired. Deaths are quite rare - they occur from blood loss, myocardial necrosis, and tetanus.
If you are hit by a stingray spike, immediately stop the bleeding and place the affected area in hot water. The wound should be cleaned and sterilized. Need to do local anesthesia and remove the remaining thorn. Sometimes you have to resort to the help of a surgeon.
Electric fish
An extraordinary family of stingrays are the electric stingrays, which includes 30 predatory species. The electric stingray has powerful electrical organs that are located in the front of the body and on the sides. These organs consist of many well-shaped disks, which are somewhat reminiscent of a honeycomb. Each stingray of this species has 375 discs, which are filled with a substance resembling jelly. This mechanism can generate current up to 220 volts. The stingray wraps its fins around its prey and paralyzes its prey with a powerful electrical discharge. Body shape: flat, rounded.
Eagle rays
Another representative of stingrays is the eagle ray. This stingray reaches a width of up to 2.5 meters and a weight of up to 350 kilograms. On enough long tail there are several poisonous spines. This stingray prefers moderate and tropical climate seas.
In this article we got acquainted with extraordinary animals - stingrays, which are rich in undersea world of our planet.
Be careful when in the water, avoid contact with this type of cartilaginous fish!
And ordinary tourists and l for amateurs aquatic species sportsQuite often you have to deal with fish bites or stings, burns from jellyfish, corals, algae and other inhabitants of the ocean depths. Therefore, you need to be prepared for an unwanted meeting and know how first aid is provided in certain cases of contact with sea inhabitants. The article was created based on materials from the Vinsky forum and surf-spot.ru.
Corals
You can accidentally cut yourself on coral by touching its petrified exoskeleton. Seemingly harmless wounds often become swollen and inflamed because they usually contain some amount of animal protein.
What to do if you get a cut on coral: rinse the damaged areas with fresh water, soap, and then rinse well again. To eliminate any remaining coral dust, rinse the wound again with a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide (1 to 1 ratio). Then cover the wound with an ointment containing an antibiotic.
Coral can sting you, then the following symptoms occur: after contact, a burning sensation occurs, in addition, most likely, a raised, itchy rash will appear. Possible swelling of the lymph glands.
What to do if you are stung by coral: Rinse the burn well with sea water (as fresh water increases pain). Then rub the burn with vinegar or alcohol to relieve the pain. If necessary, shave the affected area and use tweezers to remove any remaining coral. To reduce itching and burning, you can take an antihistamine or painkillers.
Sponges
Due to their vulnerability, sponges have developed very effective ways chemical protection, so it is not recommended to touch them at all. You should especially avoid contact with brightly colored sponges - yellow, orange and red. The skeletal needles of sponges can even pierce the neoprene rubber of gloves. The toxin produced by sponges causes severe skin irritation and dermatitis.
What to do if you are stung by a sponge: the affected area of skin must be washed with sea water and then treated with isopropyl alcohol or table vinegar. Allergic reaction In case of a burn, it can be very severe, and the help of a doctor is necessary.
Sea urchins
The quills of these echinoderms are poisonous and cause painful stings (often also infection), and by remaining in the wound, the hedgehog's quills cause further pain. A large number of injections in in rare cases can cause paralysis and even fatal outcome. A symptom such as difficulty breathing requires immediate medical attention.
What to do if you get pricked by a sea urchin: Carefully leave the water, being careful not to break off the tips of the needles sticking out of the skin. On the shore you will have to endure as best you can to wait until the body dries out. Never pull out needles with your teeth, nails, tweezers or other hard objects!
Ask someone to give you paper napkin or a paper handkerchief and carefully take a separate needle with the napkin and pull it out, trying not to break it off. Then a local antibiotic can be applied. It's also a good idea to get a tetanus shot.
If the hedgehog's needles have broken off at the root and it is almost impossible to pull them out, do not panic - disinfect the affected area with alcohol. The next day the pain usually subsides and then goes away altogether. Limestone needles will eventually dissolve in your blood and leave the body without a trace.
Often with injections sea urchins wound infection occurs and long-term inflammatory process. The reasons for this are the needle particles remaining in the body, which could not be completely removed.
To avoid injury, it is not recommended to touch sea urchins long needles, similar to knitting needles. It is worth remembering that even leather and fabric gloves, boots, and fins are not 100% protection! Therefore, when moving through shallow water, you need to exercise extreme caution so as not to accidentally step on poisonous echinoderms.
To neutralize the poison, you can also soak the damaged part in very hot water for 30-90 minutes or apply a pressure bandage.
When encountering a black sea urchin with long spines, black dots may be visible on the skin - this is a pigment, it is harmless, but can complicate the process of finding stuck spines.
One of the most poisonous sea urchins is the red trypneusthes. Under no circumstances should you touch it! This hedgehog loves to sit between the stones at low tide. It also comes in purple and white.
Stingrays
The smaller the stingray, the more problems it can cause to humans. Of the stingrays, the most dangerous are stingrays (with a poisonous spike on their back) and electric stingrays. An encounter with these creatures can happen even close to the shore with a sandy bottom.
Electric Stingray It has a round and fleshy body, often brightly colored, and resembles a very thick pancake in appearance. The narrow tail is sharply separated from the body of the stingray; there is a caudal fin. Gill slits are located on the belly. Their electrical organs are located on the sides of the body between pectoral fins and head, and they consist of modified muscle tissue. The voltage recorded during the discharge of an electrical organ various types stingrays is very different and ranges from 8V to 220V. Electric ramps lead sedentary lifestyle life on the bottom, mainly in coastal marine areas. The electric shock of a stingray is very unpleasant, in some cases causing paralytic shock.
Stingray stingray- round, flat in shape, with a long thin tail, about one or one and a half meters long, with poisonous thorns. This stingray swims very fast. You need to beware of the tail; its spines are very difficult to remove from the body, as the spines often break when pulled out.
Symptoms of the injection are bleeding and sharp pain. The wound may change color and become swollen, and there may be swollen lymph nodes or other body reactions. The stingray itself is sandy yellow. Keep in mind that stingrays can also hide under the sand.
What to do if you are struck by a stingray: First, wash the wound with sea water. Then soak the injured area in hot water to loosen painful sensations. Use tweezers to remove any remaining sting. Wash the wound again with soap. Stop the bleeding and bandage the wound tightly. Usually the affected area becomes inflamed and swollen, so medical intervention is necessary.
Bristle worm
When coming into contact with a bristle worm, symptoms such as swelling, burning and pain are observed.
What to do if you are bitten by a bristle worm: Rinse the wound with vinegar or alcohol to neutralize any remaining poison and relieve pain; sticky tape or strips of tape will help get rid of stubble. Hydrocortisone cream will help relieve inflammation; you should also take painkillers.
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