How long does a rays venomous stinger last once shed?

[Gr8KarmaSF]

How long does a rays venomous stinger last once shed?

I was working in my tank the other day and I always know where my rays are but started to think, if the rays shed their stinger and I stick myself with it, would it still be venomous?



I beleive that the stinger is actually surrounded/covered in a slimcoat of poisonous proteins (correct me if im wrong) but how long does that poisonous slimcoat last?

 

[ZCciVic22]

I've read something on this before when I got my ray. I'm not sure if it was accurate or not, but it said they can remain venomous for months...

 

[severum1]

I've read that the venoum is inside the ray and not in the stinger.

 

[keepinfish]

i think until the skin completly comes off of it? I think the skin holds the venom?

 

[csx4236]

I heard it could last a few months on the stinger once it falls off the fish

 

[Lode]

The skin holds the poison, as long as there is skin on the stinger there could be poison.

 

[stomar6]

Only the skin of the stinger is poison, if its white and clean, it isn´t poison

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

So many different answers!!!! AAAAHHH!!! Anybody got a link instead of "I thinks...." or "I once read...."

Anybody got a pic of a shed venomous vs. non-venomous stinger to show?

 

[JD7.62]

The toxin is in the skin surounding the barb, When a ray stings you and pulls its barb out (or breaks off and stays in) the skin immediately starts leaching the toxin as it will peel off of the barb and stay in you.

When a ray sheds its barb and you can still see the skin it is still toxic. It is safe to handle though, but dont do anything dumb like eat it or stick it into an open wound. I once held a freshly shed barb from my ray with a good bit of skin left and my hand had a slight tingling sensation afterwards.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

I once held a freshly shed barb from my ray with a good bit of skin left and my hand had a slight tingling sensation afterwards.

Reminds me of those fools who lick toads for kicks!