Steve C. writes in:
I went surfing this afternoon out front of 25th. There were many small stingrays! These warm ocean temperatures seem to bring them into our beaches. You don’t want to step on one. Last one I stepped on last summer sent me to the ER, Yo!
Stingrays do not aggressively attack humans, though stings do normally occur if a ray is accidentally stepped on. Contact with the stinger causes local trauma (from the cut itself), pain, swelling, muscle cramps from the venom, and later may result in infection from bacteria. The injury is very painful, but seldom life-threatening unless the stinger pierces a vital area. The barb usually breaks off in the wound, and surgery may be required to remove the fragments.
