Stingray attacks leave lingering questions regarding the behavior and habitats of these graceful but often deadly creatures.
Recently a 57 year old woman sunbathing on a boat in Florida was killed when a spotted eagle stingray jumped out of the water, hitting her in the neck and/or head.
In October 2006 an 81 year old grandfather (also on a boat off the cost of Florida) was attacked by a 3 foot leaping stingray that landed in the boat he was fishing from, stinging him as he tried to return it to sea.
Although stingray attacks are are frightening, they are extremely rare (approximately 1500 stings in the United States annually) and most often, are not fatal.
Spotted Eagle Ray Habitats
The Spotted Eagle Stingray lives in bays and coral reefs in warm, tropical waters worldwide.
Specific locations are as follows:
- In the Western Atlantic: North Carolina, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda southward to Brazil
- In the Eastern Atlantic: from Mauritania to Argola
- The Red Sea
- From South Africa to Hawaii
- In the Eastern Pacific waters from the Gulf of California to Peru (including Galapagos)
Spotted Eagle Ray Behavior
Contrary to popular belief these rays are generally shy and are difficult to approach. The general behavior includes the following:
- They swim in schools close to the water's surface
- Spotted rays have the ability to completely leap out of the water
- When out of the water, they often produce loud sounds
- The ray's menu of choice includes shrimp,octopus,clams, oysters, squid, sea urchins and bony fish.
Description Of The Spotted Eagle Stingray
The Spotted Eagle Stingray was originally described in 1790. Modern day characteristics include:
- A very angular body with pointed wings with a V shaped, flapped, broad nose.
- A length of up to 17 feet (including the tail) with a wing span of up to 10 feet
- Weight up to 500 pounds
- Color varies and can be gray, dark and/or reddish brown or black with spots that are white, pearly, greenish and/or yellow.
- The tail is whip-like, usually 3 times the width of the body with up to 6 stinging spines.
Predators of the Spotted Eagle Stingray
Predators include sharks, both hammerhead and silvertip.
Stingray Sting Symptoms
Symptoms after a stingray sting can include the following:
- A bleeding wound
- Sharp, excruciating pain peaking at 1-2 hours after the sting
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle Cramps
- Increased heart rate
- Tremors
- Fainting
- Seizures
- Paralysis
- Decrease in blood pressure
First Aid For Stingray Stings
Medical attention should be sought immediately.
First aid (en route to medical aid) should include the following:
- Flush the wound with fresh water
- To relieve pain, soak the wound with hot water (as hot as the patient can endure)
- Remove the stinger(s) with tweezers
- Cleanse the wound with soap and water
- Apply pressure to the wound to control bleeding
- Apply antibiotic topically (oral antibiotics will usually be administered by the treating MD)
Sources:
Florida Museum of Natural History - Wonderful photos and videos of the Spotted Eagle Ray.
