Sting Ray kills women in FL Keys

[dingo]

Really?? My other friend from AU was just telling me they do.

Although I agree Steve was an accident I meant he was seeking to engage with the creature. I think that opens up more risks.

My only experience with rays is catching them while out fishing and my hubby has caught some hugh ones...we just bring them as close to the boat as possible and cut the line..all the ones we have caught have been very calm about the situation....the small number of attacks in a beach loving nation also makes me believe that the rays arent out to get us

 

[Amraann]

My only experience with rays is catching them while out fishing and my hubby has caught some hugh ones...we just bring them as close to the boat as possible and cut the line..all the ones we have caught have been very calm about the situation....the small number of attacks in a beach loving nation also makes me believe that the rays arent out to get us

From what I know Rays are rather docile and in some places like the Bahamas you can swim right with them and touch them..
I was shocked when my friend told me they actually attack in OZ..

I will have to ask her more about this. Maybe I misunderstood.

 

[LinasK]

From what I know Rays are rather docile and in some places like the Bahamas you can swim right with them and touch them..
I was shocked when my friend told me they actually attack in OZ..

I will have to ask her more about this. Maybe I misunderstood.

In Tahiti, you can get in the water with the Manta Rays. One swam up onto a guys chest to get his underwater camera! Probably thought it was food. I played it safe and took my photos from the boat.

 

[Amraann]

In Tahiti, you can get in the water with the Manta Rays. One swam up onto a guys chest to get his underwater camera! Probably thought it was food. I played it safe and took my photos from the boat.

I am with ya!!

We see them so often here while kayaking or at the beach.

 

[j2mirish]

.....Our rays are the same as yours Am .....they dont attack and Steves death was a freak accident like the poor lady in this story...we have enough tourist deterring bities down here already without adding the stingo to the list

that you do!!!!!!!!!!! as in GREAT FRICKING WHITES !!!!!!
I rather take a chance that a ray will jump into my boat! and I agree Steve was a freak accindent- just like the lady in the boat
( oh and.....:blowkiss: to my Dingo )

 

[Amraann]

that you do!!!!!!!!!!! as in GREAT FRICKING WHITES !!!!!!
I rather take a chance that a ray will jump into my boat! and I agree Steve was a freak accindent- just like the lady in the boat
( oh and.....:blowkiss: to my Dingo )

Ummm Honey We have great whites in the US too ... Sorry :blowkiss:

 

[j2mirish]

Ummm Honey We have great whites in the US too ... Sorry :blowkiss:

I know that---I was referring to the shark attacks in Australia

 

[concernedperson]

When I read the CNN article about this I was convinced that it was a freak accident. This has to be her time to go or nothing else makes too much sense. It couldn't have been avoided. It seems the sting rays jump when they have predators or about to give birth.

It was a large sea creature that smacked her. It wasn't an attack but a natural progression of this creature.

I am sorry for her family as they have all the heartache but they have to know she is safe now. God doesn't take us before our time. I am sure there is a reason and we will have to wait to find out. In this case I don't believe it is lessons learned or how to be safe but rather He wanted her home.

 

[dingo]

that you do!!!!!!!!!!! as in GREAT FRICKING WHITES !!!!!!
I rather take a chance that a ray will jump into my boat! and I agree Steve was a freak accindent- just like the lady in the boat
( oh and.....:blowkiss: to my Dingo )

Hello matey:blowkiss:

 

[pedinurse]

i agree... i think it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, it HAS to be your time to go when God calls you! you have a set number of minutes on this earth, and when they are done... you're done! God's gonna call you home, even if it means having some freak accident like this to do it.

 

[mostlylurking]

I took my kids to the city aquarium a few years ago. They were 2,4 & 6. There was a big open display that you could walk up by & it was full of stingrays -- don't know the specific kind -- and a sign that said "don't put your hands in the water". My then 4 year old was standing right by the see through part of the wall & his head was maybe a foot higher than the top. One of the rays came gliding over & his whole body followed the curve of the wall/window straight up out of the water. About a quarter or third of his body came up right in front of my kids face. Scared us to death!!!!

I don't think it was anything other than swimming for the ray & the clear glass got in his way & we just happened to be there for the experience.

 

[Elphaba]

Rays are cool creatures... we have the small brown kind up here in the Chesapeake Bay... they usually swim in pods. One, last year, made the news: it was swimming along with its "wings" up out of the water, scaring people out of the water. Why? because people thought it was shark fins they were seeing... they thought they were being stalked by a pair of sharks. LoL Me's think the ray had a sense of humor...

 

[Amraann]

Rays are cool creatures... we have the small brown kind up here in the Chesapeake Bay... they usually swim in pods. One, last year, made the news: it was swimming along with its "wings" up out of the water, scaring people out of the water. Why? because people thought it was shark fins they were seeing... they thought they were being stalked by a pair of sharks. LoL Me's think the ray had a sense of humor...

Oh that happens all the time here!!!! When they have their fins up they do look like a shark.

 

[KarlK]

Ummm Honey We have great whites in the US too ... Sorry :blowkiss:

Yeah we do, and so does Canada. In fact the largest great white ever caught was pulled from the Atlantic off Prince Edward Island, Canada:

Recently I read a great article about North Atlantic sharks by Peter Benchley.

He states that from May to October great whites are regularly spotted in the Atlantic in the coastal area spanning from the mouth of the St. Lawrence river in Quebec to Cape May in New Jersey with the highest number of sightings off Nova Scotia and Maine. Jaws notwithstanding, there were only two fatal great white attacks recorded in North America during the last century: one in New Jersey and one in Nova Scotia. This is largely due to the fact that the waters great whites prefer are too cold for all but the hardiest human swimmers.

According to the author what makes this species so dangerous is its habit of "bite first and ask questions later". Most sharks won't eat anything they aren't familiar with but unlike these the great white, which is a primitive species, won't investigate a potential source of food by circling and nudging before sampling it, it will bite and swallow just about anything, throwing it up later if it proves inedible. Because of this behavior two of the main causes of mortality among great whites are choking from attempting to swallow large objects that then block the gills, and food poisoning.

Apparently the only creature great whites fear and instinctively flee from are killer whales the smallest of which being twice as large as the largest great whites, swims even faster, delivers a more vicious bite, and is very short on patience. Contrary to what some believe killer whales -as well as other dolphins and porpoises- do not attack sharks because they are evil (lol) but because dolphins don't like sharing their food sources.

 

[KarlK]

When I read the CNN article about this I was convinced that it was a freak accident. This has to be her time to go or nothing else makes too much sense. It couldn't have been avoided. It seems the sting rays jump when they have predators or about to give birth.

It was a large sea creature that smacked her. It wasn't an attack but a natural progression of this creature.

It's not even clear if the ray ever touched her, she may just have been so startled by this fish landing in the boat close to her (who wouldn't be) that she jumped, slipped, and hit her head. I think that's what happened because I'm quite sure a panicking ray, and I'm assuming this one was quite stressed by its precarious situation, would have stung anyone touching it. But it appears the woman wasn't stung. Apparently it was both the woman's and the ray's time to go. You know what they say, the best kind of death is the unexpected and both got just that. I'm feeling sad for the family but I hope that they realize that nothing could have prevented this from happening. What are the chances?

 

[Amraann]

Hi Karl!!!

Thank you so much for posting that info..


I am going to disagree about the two attacks in the century.

The attack in New Jersey in the 60's was actually several by the same shark.
I think the most common attacks are by Bull and Tiger sharks??

If memory serves me the shark in NJ was a Great White and the foundation for the movie Jaws ... thus the reason GW's have such a bad rep.

Also I am confused about your comment about a ray stinging?
They have their Barb and do point it out (up) to ward off predators but they do not typically seek to impale anything.
Simply touching them does not cause a sting like a jelly fish.

 

[KarlK]

Hi Karl!!!

Thank you so much for posting that info..


I am going to disagree about the two attacks in the century.

The attack in New Jersey in the 60's was actually several by the same shark.
I think the most common attacks are by Bull and Tiger sharks??

I was referring to attacks where it was confirmed that the culprit was a great white, not to shark attacks in general. As far as I know you're right that bull and tiger sharks attack more often, probably because they frequent warm waters where a lot of people bathe, and because they come closer to shore. Tropical sharks sometimes venture to the north during summer so it's possible for someone to be attacked by one in NJ, although some experts believe most attacks in northern waters are from mako sharks, a very common species in the North Atlantic which is sometimes mistaken for other species when there is no forensic evidence such as teeth to analyze. Makos have distinctive, dagger-like teeth, but seen from above their body looks like that of a porbeagle shark.

A large mako caught off Nova Scotia:

Also I am confused about your comment about a ray stinging?
They have their Barb and do point it out (up) to ward off predators but they do not typically seek to impale anything.
Simply touching them does not cause a sting like a jelly fish.

Stingrays have their barb on their tail and while it normally points up they can direct it (the tail) to strike at various angles including horizontally above the body if need be. Waders who step on a stingray don't need to step directly on the barb to get stung, if they step on the body the fish will whip up its tail and strike over its body, sort of like a scorpion but with more flexibility in directionality. While there may be "safe" areas where one can touch a sting ray outside the reach of its barb I reckon that would be taking a serious risk. A ray that just landed on a boat will likely be much more aggressive than a ray in its natural element, at least until it suffocates for lack of oxygen.

 

[Amraann]

That is such a cool picture!!!!!
When I was a child living on Cape Cod my Dad and uncles would go out to the shark tournaments (popular after the movie Jaws!)
They once came in 2cd or 3rd with a 6 foot Maco

Did you know that often Maco Shark is served as Sword fish in higher end restaurants??

I did not know that Maco's attack.
(ps. My dad was a shark fisherman)

ETA: Grilled Maco Fillet, fresh caught that day, is OMG to die for!!!

 

[dingo]

Yeah we do, and so does Canada. In fact the largest great white ever caught was pulled from the Atlantic off Prince Edward Island, Canada:

Recently I read a great article about North Atlantic sharks by Peter Benchley.

He states that from May to October great whites are regularly spotted in the Atlantic in the coastal area spanning from the mouth of the St. Lawrence river in Quebec to Cape May in New Jersey with the highest number of sightings off Nova Scotia and Maine. Jaws notwithstanding, there were only two fatal great white attacks recorded in North America during the last century: one in New Jersey and one in Nova Scotia. This is largely due to the fact that the waters great whites prefer are too cold for all but the hardiest human swimmers.

According to the author what makes this species so dangerous is its habit of "bite first and ask questions later". Most sharks won't eat anything they aren't familiar with but unlike these the great white, which is a primitive species, won't investigate a potential source of food by circling and nudging before sampling it, it will bite and swallow just about anything, throwing it up later if it proves inedible. Because of this behavior two of the main causes of mortality among great whites are choking from attempting to swallow large objects that then block the gills, and food poisoning.

Apparently the only creature great whites fear and instinctively flee from are killer whales the smallest of which being twice as large as the largest great whites, swims even faster, delivers a more vicious bite, and is very short on patience. Contrary to what some believe killer whales -as well as other dolphins and porpoises- do not attack sharks because they are evil (lol) but because dolphins don't like sharing their food sources.

This is why I stay in the carpark when we go to the beach

 

[Tom'sGirl]

It's not even clear if the ray ever touched her, she may just have been so startled by this fish landing in the boat close to her (who wouldn't be) that she jumped, slipped, and hit her head.

~snip
Hunter's report noted she suffered ``multiple skull fractures and direct brain injury resulting in sudden death,'' said Jorge Pino, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

She was not stung by the ray's poisonous barb. The collision knocked Zagorski backward, onto the floor of the boat, Pino said.

``The force of that impact was dramatic,'' he said.
http://tinyurl.com/2cdb54