my friend said she watched a show on discovery where they caught a stingray on a rod and reel and when they got it out of the water it shot out its stinger and hit a kid a ways away in the chest... I've never heard of this, what stingray would do this, or is it even true??
stingray shooting stinger???
- Thread starter heatha
- Start date
I did some googling and can't find any video of this happening, just a family telling some stories to get on TV probably. Freshwater rays don't shoot stingers, and while I don't know much about saltwater rays I highly doubt the do either.
stingrays don't shoot their barbs, fresh or saltwater. they are a piercing defense, not a ranged defense, like say a spitting cobra.
i'm sure if anyone could dispel this with real world working knowledge, it would be zoodiver.
i'm sure if anyone could dispel this with real world working knowledge, it would be zoodiver.
I'd bet your friend was watching "River Monsters". I've seen all the episodes airing on this channel up to date. Several of them are on rays.
I'd also bet your friend is telling a 'fishtale', or was not paying attention to the program.
No ray (marine or fresh) SHOOTS the barb. The integumentary sheath that contains the toxin (venom) is attached to the body's vascular system (Thay is why they bleed if the barb breaks or comes out). The most effective way to use the barb is repeated thrusting. Losing a barb only happens on occation during penetration. It's more common for the ray to stab over and over with the tail in a side to side motion or over the top dorsally (like a scorpion). This retains the barb itself (no regrow time) and only the sheath needs to regrow to give barb it's full toxin back.
lol, yeah probably. by the sound of it, when they ripped it off the ray with the pliers, the pulling motion linked with the loss of grip from the pliers sent it flying at the boy. human error, not ray "shot".
That article is rediculous.
The chances of a pulled barb (only a small 4" one) slipping with enough force to fly 8 feet, then hit the boy at just the right angel to break the shirt and skin AND stick is slimmer than being barbed by a stingray one it's own. The way it's worded is pure trash. The reaction of the parents in the situation also shows they lack knowledge. Totally spun to snag readers and at the same time it's spreading the lies that makes our next generation dumb. "Nearly killing him".... what would they write about me!? What a load.
The chances of a pulled barb (only a small 4" one) slipping with enough force to fly 8 feet, then hit the boy at just the right angel to break the shirt and skin AND stick is slimmer than being barbed by a stingray one it's own. The way it's worded is pure trash. The reaction of the parents in the situation also shows they lack knowledge. Totally spun to snag readers and at the same time it's spreading the lies that makes our next generation dumb. "Nearly killing him".... what would they write about me!? What a load.
Now when we tell people we have stingrays after they say "You mean the things that killed Steve Irwin?" they will follow up with "How do you keep them from shooting you with there stingers?". 