How do you scare away stingrays?
Stingrays typically won't sting unless they feel threatened, so the best way to avoid a sting is to do the famous “stingray shuffle.” Shuffle or drag your feet along the ocean floor. Doing so will scare the stingray away as opposed to surprising it.
Sadly, numbers of sting ray are in decline. Overfishing, habitat loss and climate change are the major threats to rays. They”re also hunted for their gill rakers (used for feeding) for use in Chinese medicine. At present, 539 species of ray assessed are under the IUCN Red List, and 107 are classified as threatened.
Don't panic. Stingrays sting to scare us away. The sting is painful, but usually not very harmful. Patients should make their way back to the safety of shore by shuffling their feet (so they won't be stung again).
Active tracking showed that round stingrays exhibited short movements interspersed by 2-4 hr. periods of inactivity and that round stingray movement was greatest at night during the ebbing (falling) tide when water temperature can increase as much as 10 degrees (C) in a relatively short period of time.
- Call 911 if the person has symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as:
- Bathe Wound in Seawater and Remove Pieces.
- Stop Bleeding.
- Soak Wound in Hot Water For Pain Relief.
- Scrub Wound.
- Go to a Hospital Emergency Room.
- Follow Up.
Stingrays generally aren't dangerous — in fact, they have a reputation for being gentle. They often burrow beneath the sand in the shallows and swim in the open water. Stingrays will usually only sting when disturbed or stepped on by unaware swimmers. Most of the time, you can avoid being stung by a stingray.
They Sleep in the Sand
While resting, stingrays bury their bodies in the sand, leaving their defensive barb sticking out to protect themselves as they sleep.
Worldwide, death by stingray is similarly rare, with only one or two fatal attacks reported each year. But non-fatal stingray attacks occur frequently in shallow waters worldwide. These usually involve unwitting waders who step on rays nestled into the sand, hiding from predators.
Common throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast U.S., Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico, stingrays often swim within a few yards of shore, where they prey on tiny fish and shellfish. They are known to lie on the bottom and cover themselves with sand, which is how most people get stung.
Do stingrays enjoy being tickled? Joseph Gemellaro at the Long Island Aquarium says it's not safe at all. “Because they're animals that breathe in the water, if you keep them out for long, they have issues with oxygen depravity,” he said. They also pack a potentially deadly sting.
How common are stingray attacks?
Myth: Many people have been injured by stingrays. Fact: There have been only 17 recorded deaths caused by stingrays worldwide… ever!
To prevent stingray injuries, Vaughn recommends that beachgoers shuffle their feet as they enter the water. “Instead of lifting (your feet) and stepping, you minimize the chance of stepping on a ray and getting stung,” Vaughn said. “This gives the ray a warning that you're coming and gives them a chance to swim away.”
We've recreated a stingray sting with a real barb to see how the materials stood up. In our tests, Neoprene provided nearly no protection against a stingray sting. Denser materials on booties helped more, but the level of protection provided by most existing booties overall was not very high.
May through October is when you'll see savvy beach goers doing the Stingray Shuffle! Stingrays come into shallow Gulf waters for their mating season and settle in; they get partially covered with sand which makes it difficult to see them.
When you're walking in the ocean admiring all the unique marine life, shuffle your feet along the bottom. As a result of this stingray shuffle, the stingrays will feel the vibrations from your feet and have a chance to flee. If you do get stung, the protein on the stinger is similar to that of a bee sting.
It is clearly dangerous to swim directly over a stingray (this is how Steve Irwin was fatally injured). In general, if you aren't on a tour, it is advisable to avoid stingrays, and you should certainly leave them alone while diving or snorkeling.
Symptoms and Signs of Stingray Stings
Although often limited to the injured area, the pain may spread rapidly, reaching its greatest intensity in < 90 minutes; in most cases, pain gradually diminishes over 6 to 48 hours but occasionally lasts days or weeks.
"Stingrays do not attack people, however if it is stepped on, the stingray will utilize its spine as a form of defense," according to Nancy Passarelli and Andrew Piercy of Florida Museum of Natural History. "Although being pierced by the stingray's spine is painful, it is rarely life threatening to humans."
First of all, they're not out there to go after you, they don't attack or seek out humans. They are bottom feeders who like the inshore environment from ankle-deep to well over your head.
They are known to occasionally jump out of the water but are not aggressive and use the venomous barb at the end of their tail for defense.
Can stingrays fly in the air?
The rays have large, flat, diamond-shaped bodies and long fins, allowing them to glide through water - and also through the air.
Let's look at where stingrays fall within the complex hierarchy of the ocean food chain: Animals known to feed on stingrays include sharks, elephant seals and killer whales. The best defense the stingray has is its flat body, which makes it perfect for hiding in the sand on the ocean floor.
A Painful Toxin
"It causes this intense pain sensation — a throbbing, kind of aching pain sensation. And it literally takes hours to go away." But if you've ever been unlucky enough to feel that pain, don't blame the stingray, Lowe says. They only sting in self-defense.
Even after a stingray's death, the venom it produced while alive would still be a threat to humans. A person is far more likely to suffer a painful injury and possible complications from contact with a spooked stingray than death.
Contact with the disc in the pectoral region can produce a mild electric shock, not enough to injure a human.
Stingrays are not aggressive. They are curious and playful animals when there are divers and snorkellers around, and if they feel threatened their first instinct is to swim away. But as with all marine life, people must respect stingrays' personal space.
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.
Step 3: Consider wearing water shoes. If you do step on a stingray, your footwear may prevent the barb from penetrating.
Be sure that all the barbs have been removed as pure white vinegar may cause the barbs to implode and cause more stinging. Do not pour vinegar on a stingray sting. That will only cause more pain to an already painful welt or open wound.
For fish related to rays, rolling them over puts them into a deep sleep, called tonic immobilization, or TI. In no time, the ray stops fighting.
What do stingrays do when they feel threatened?
These stingers are sharp, barbed and venomous. When a stingray feels threatened, it will arch its back with its tail over its head, like a scorpion. The stingray will then thrust the stinger into the attacker. Removing the stinger is difficult because the barbs are pointed away from the wound, like an arrow.
That's right, stabbed! The word “sting” is often used to describe what a stingray does. But, it's really more like being stabbed by a mini knife blade that has reverse-serrated edges.
One of the cures commonly asked about is urine. Shawn asked San Diego City Lifeguard Sergeant Charles Knight if urinating on a stingray injury alleviates pain. He says this claim is FALSE. Another remedy often discussed is hot water.
Stingrays are known to be gentle creatures and won't bother humans if not disturbed. However, humans often step on them since stingrays bury themselves underneath the sand in shallow waters.
Step 3: Consider wearing water shoes. If you do step on a stingray, your footwear may prevent the barb from penetrating.
It is clearly dangerous to swim directly over a stingray (this is how Steve Irwin was fatally injured). In general, if you aren't on a tour, it is advisable to avoid stingrays, and you should certainly leave them alone while diving or snorkeling.