Stingray and jellyfish stings

STEVE Irwin’s death by a stingray shocked many of us. The newspapers report stingrays are actually passive creatures. How can they then kill? 

Stingrays do not usually attack people, but if provoked or disturbed, their venomous stinger (spine) near the base of their tails can cause punctures or cuts. Steve Irwin is not the only famous person to have been injured by a stingray. Captain John Smith (of Pocahontas fame), who founded Jamestown, had also been stung. He however was not killed.