546
so cozy 🐟 (thelemmy.club)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] 40 points 6 months ago (17 children)

Aren't they dangerous?

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  • [–] 48 points 6 months ago* (12 children)

    A pissed off stingray is what killed Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter. Though that's supposedly the only stingray related death caught on camera.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin

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  • [–] 46 points 6 months ago (8 children)

    It literally stabbed him in the heart, which seems to me like an unlikely way to die to a stingray, but I'm no stingrayologist, so take that with a grain of salt.

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  • [–] 28 points 6 months ago (6 children)

    They hurt like a bad beesting. Lifeguards will put your foot into a bag of hot water (denatures the venom) and after a few minutes, you are fine

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  • [–] 33 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    Lifeguards will put your foot into a bag of hot water

    What if I get stabbed somewhere else? Do they still just put my foot in a bag of hot water?

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  • [–] 17 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    I still haven’t forgiven the stingray.

    I know that Steve would say it wasn’t the stingray’s fault, that he was the one intruding and it was just defending itself, as stingrays do.

    But I’m not nearly as good a human as Steve.

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  • [–] 9 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    And Steve probably wouldn't blame you for that either. He'd just try to soften your heart by being his usual, earnestly enthusiastic self.

    Damn, this thread (and replying to your comment in particular) just hit me with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. I'm so glad that I got to grow up at the time when I did, because now I have the privilege of grieving for Steve Irwin. Steve will always be a part of my fond childhood memories.

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  • [–] 12 points 6 months ago

    The main risk is that they can be very well camouflaged if they are sitting on the sea floor, so if you step on them by accident they may sting. Steve Irwin’s situation was a real oddity, as he was stung in the heart (he was swimming over top of the ray and it must have gotten spooked) - more commonly people are stung in the foot which is painful but not deadly.

    Like most wildlife, they should be given space if you are unsure. But there are many tame ones that are fed regularly near tourist resorts, and they tend to swim up and tickle your legs when you stand in the water.

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