The death of Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter)...

sly2kusa

sly2kusa

Lover of Esox
Jul 25, 2006
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I'm sure most of you have heard by now that early Monday - Steve Irwin was killed by a Stingray (claimingly he took one to the chest from the Ray's tail).

Can anyone tell me more about the Stingray's tail? What scientific family this animal comes from, and just more info in general? I tried the species information link, but came up with nothing. There are a ton of threads out on Yahoo Q&A with a lot of confusing stories from people saying Stingray's are a type of shark, to people not understanding how someone could die from a Stingray's sting.

Much thanks in advance.
 
OMG he's DEAD!?!?!

Well, from what I've read in other news sites, he took the stinger through the chest and it punctured his heart. That was how he died. That, and the venom the thing injected. Venom directly into the bloodstream isnt healthy you know... So, yeah. Now I'm off to mourn quite possibly the craziest man whom lived in the past decade...
 
i hope my mate steve aint dead
 
Please keep the thread here ONLY to info about stingray's, there is a thread in GCC that is on Irwin so you can debate him there (I HIGHLY doubt this is a hoax, I think he would have had to be INCREDIBLY close to the stingray for it to be able to go through his wet suit and all the way into his heart).
For more info regarding rays check here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/rays.htm Anyway hope this helps!
 
The stingray that got Steve was probably in the family Dasyatidae (at least that's my educated guess). The venom from stingrays is usually not dangerous, but very painful nonetheless. I think it only happened to kill him because it hit him directly in the heart (according to the news). Most people recover without any special treatment, I don't know if they even require antivenom or if they even make one for rays. Steve Irwin is only the third person in Australia to ever die from a stingray.

It's not like venomous snakes at all, in terms of potency. Snake venom is designed to kill prey, while stingray venom is merely a self defense mechanism. There are many wild sharks out there with several stingers from rays imbedded in their skin, and they are not bothered (of course the wounds have healed, so it's like a "piercing"). Stingrays can also lose their stingers and regrow them. In fact, researchers will even remove the stingers to make the animals easier to handle, with a pair of pliers and the stingrays are no worse for wear.
 
the barb can be 10 inches long and has a serated edge on one side, a sting will put you in pain for about 6 hours. usually when they fell threatend they raise the barb up as a warning. i think his mate he was diving with said he was swimming directly above the stingray.
 
Yep, and that some large sharks had just swum overhead. The ray was probably irritated by the sharks, and mistook Steve for one. Poor guy. When I heard where it hit him, I just assumed he was trying to hug it or something else foolish.
 
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