Who's pissing off the stingrays?

[Sofa King]

This happened in my home town, my lil bro is friends with the Lt.....

MIAMI - A leaping stingray stabbed an 81-year-old Florida boater in the chest, authorities said on Wednesday, leaving its poisonous stinger lodged close to his heart in an incident recalling the one that killed Australian TV naturalist Steve Irwin last month.

Fire Department officials in Lighthouse Point, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Miami, said James Bertakis was in a small recreational boat with two grandchildren on Tuesday when the spotted eagle ray leaped aboard and struck him.

“It’s just a real freak thing,” Lt. Mike Sullivan told Reuters, saying the incident occurred on Florida’s Intercoastal Waterway, where stingrays are rarely seen leaping in the air.

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“For an 81-year-old man he’s in really good shape,” Sullivan added, saying Bertakis was expected to make a full recovery after surgery at a local hospital to have the stinger removed from his chest.

“Crocodile Hunter” Irwin, 44, died when a stingray’s stinger punctured his heart off Australia’s north coast last month. It was one of only a handful of stingray fatalities on record

[RedDog]

Well I need some education on this. Is the stinger actually at the tip of the tail? I had always though the stinger was at the rear of the body at the base of the tail.

Which is it or is in one way on some species the the other for others?

[Jraysray]

When I was in Port St. Lucie a month ago I was on the way out of the jetties and I saw a stingray fly straight out of the water about 5-6 ft and right back in. I was amazed! It was huge too!

[pmreed]

If it was really big, Jraysray, like over 6 or 7 feet in width, it was probably a Manta Ray. Seen them jump out of the water and land flat on their bellies many times when out fishing. Some experts say they do it to dislodge parasites; I think they do it for the fun of it.

Phil

[Formula Jr]

The eye of the media is a strange thing. What is important, is'nt. What isn't important is. 1984.

[Jraysray]

If it was really big, Jraysray, like over 6 or 7 feet in width, it was probably a Manta Ray. Seen them jump out of the water and land flat on their bellies many times when out fishing. Some experts say they do it to dislodge parasites; I think they do it for the fun of it.
Phil

I would say about 4-5 ft across it didn't have that "forked" head and almost didn't make a ripple upon re-entry. Mantra-ray, maybe.

[wrussellw]

My wife is the fisherperson in the family. She has been catching what seems to me to a strange number of stingrays in Lake Ponchartrain this year. Two rather large ones last Sunday alone. Don't remember there being alot of them in the lake in the past. We definitely just cut the line now.