Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin

[Rick Murchison]

>>> Please note that this is the Accidents & Incidents forum. This thread has drifted far afield - please reread the special rules for this forum and abide by them. If you want to make comments outside the specifics of this mishap, feel free to start another thread in another forum.
Thanks for your cooperation.<<<
Rick

 

[arcdiver]

...has a great shot of the location of the barb on the cowtail ray if you look under whip rays/stingrays and then under cowtail. The wide, flat flap that gives it the name cowtail starts under the base of its barb so it is easy to see how far down its tail the barb is located. This seems the most likely choice for a ray that could produce the described injury.

Thanks for the info Hoyden! Do you mean this picture:
http://www.marinethemes.com/cumulus/previews/R01A14_51934.jpg
That Cowtail seems to have an impressive tail.

Could it be that stingrays only use their tail as a defensive weapon when they are on the bottom of the ocean? That way they would have more power to "sting", and maybe they feel more threatened when they are not swimming.

 

[erparamedic]

>>> Please note that this is the Accidents & Incidents forum. This thread has drifted far afield - please reread the special rules for this forum and abide by them. If you want to make comments outside the specifics of this mishap, feel free to start another thread in another forum.
Thanks for your cooperation.<<<
Rick

Thank you, Rick, for posting this. This thread has gotten waaaaay out of hand. Sad.


My condolences to the Irwin Family and friends.

 

[Doubles]

>>> Please note that this is the Accidents & Incidents forum. This thread has drifted far afield - please reread the special rules for this forum and abide by them. If you want to make comments outside the specifics of this mishap, feel free to start another thread in another forum.
Thanks for your cooperation.<<<
Rick

I also wish to thank you Rick, and to Kim for her earlier post. As was recently pointed out to me in a PM, some may forget or not realize what forum they are in due to the length of this thread.

Out of respect for the family it might be time for a mod to close this one down. Or we could all just resist the tempation to add any more to it. I don't think there is more to say than what has been said already.

May Steve Irwin Rest in Peace

 

[Hoyden]

Thanks for the info Hoyden! Do you mean this picture:
http://www.marinethemes.com/cumulus/previews/R01A14_51934.jpg
That Cowtail seems to have an impressive tail.

Could it be that stingrays only use their tail as a defensive weapon when they are on the bottom of the ocean? That way they would have more power to "sting", and maybe they feel more threatened when they are not swimming.

That's the one.

Jackie

 

[BarryNL]

Could it be that stingrays only use their tail as a defensive weapon when they are on the bottom of the ocean? That way they would have more power to "sting", and maybe they feel more threatened when they are not swimming.

They wouldn't need to - think how dense water is and it has basically the resistance of the water over the entire underside of its body to push the sting upwards with. Even if it exerted only 1psi downwards that would translate to several thousand psi upwards at the sting.

 

[arcdiver]

...Even if it exerted only 1psi downwards that would translate to several thousand psi upwards at the sting.

Yes, you are right. I didn't think of that.

According to the Divernet Steve's cameraman said that the ray was a bull ray:
http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/060906irwin.shtml

 

[Diver Dennis]

After re-reading my quote tonight, I will agree with you, a very poor comparison on my part. I apoligize to you and my fellow Scubaboard readers.

Accepted and thank you.

 

[MoonWrasse]

They wouldn't need to - think how dense water is and it has basically the resistance of the water over the entire underside of its body to push the sting upwards with. Even if it exerted only 1psi downwards that would translate to several thousand psi upwards at the sting.

That and if there was any surge he could have had a more difficult time controlling his position.

Based on information from film footage of the incident, a cameraman told The Australian: "He was up in the shallow water, probably 1.5m to 2m deep, following a bull ray which was about a metre across the body - probably weighing about 100kg, and it had quite a large spine.

"It stopped and went into a defensive mode and swung its tail with the spike. It probably felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead, and it felt there was danger and it baulked."
http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/060906irwin.shtml

 

[Stivo]

Here's a good shot of a bull ray's spike:

http://www.julianrocks.net/sharks/bullrays.htm