Animals
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StingrayMost stingrays live in the ocean, but there are stingrays living in the Amazon river. Stingrays have a flat body which makes them ideally suited for living in the shallow waters of rivers and streams. They prefer warm shallow water and lie half-buried in the sand, which makes them very difficult to see. Unfortunately this also makes them very dangerous for swimmers and people wading in the water. In the Amazon region, stingrays cause more injuries than piranha. Stingrays use their tail like a whip. Fortunately, stingray wounds are rarely fatal, but they have occasionally killed children when stung in the abdomen. These stings are extremely painful and can cause blood poisoning. They are powerful enough to penetrate rubber boots and embed themselves in wood. The stingray's tail is covered with rough barbs which tears open the flesh of its victims, and contains a mild venom. The stingray's sting is purely defensive – it only stings when disturbed or threatened. The problem for people is simply that the stingray's camouflage makes it almost impossible to see. Some locals recommend making several loud splashes before entering the water, since the splashing is said to scare them off. Indians in some areas also regularly patrol the beaches close to villages, stabbing stingrays with a spear whenever they see the stingray's shape half-buried in the sand along the water's edge. Freshwater stingray are smaller than their ocean equivalent, and almost circular in shape. A full-sized adult can be more than a metre in diameter and weigh 30kg (66 lb). They eat shellfish, worms, and other small fish living in the sand. Stingrays shed their stingers about every 6 to 8 months, when they are replaced with a new one. Freshwater stingray are also caught and bred for the aquarium market in the United States. |
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