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An Australian spear fisherman captures one of the world's most venomous fish and a deadly snake in the middle of a fight for life. A venomous sea snake was locked in a ferocious battle with a stonefish. From the BBC News report:
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Trippe said he had been diving on a World War Two wreck in Darwin Harbour when he made the unusual find.
Mr Trippe said he drew on his experience of fishing pythons out of his chicken coop when he pulled the wrestling creatures from the water, clutching the snake under its mouth.
"I'm silly but not mad. I knew this was dangerous. I knew if I grabbed it I wouldn't get the bitten," Mr Trippe said.
[...] The venom released from the 13 spines on a stonefish's back can kill a human in two hours if not treated.
The linked article has an amazing picture of each having the other in its jaws.
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by kbahey on Tuesday September 01 2015, @01:45PM
I have seen stonefish while snorkeling in the Red Sea. I bought a book about Red Sea poisonous creatures to avoid, and of course the stonefish was there. The thing is: the poisonous part are the dorsal fin spines. Never saw or read or heard about its bite being poisonous.
The sea snake's bite is very venomous. That fish will not survive no matter what. But I think the snake is not poisoned. It may be lacerated or get an infection, but I very much doubt that the fish's bite is poisonous.
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(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday September 01 2015, @02:01PM
I kinda think you're right. It seems that the snake killed the fish, then left it? If the snake had eaten the fish, he might be poisoned. Or, maybe not - how similar are the toxins? Did the fish ever spear the snake with his fins? Ehhh - it seemed to me that some assumptions were being made when I read the story, but didn't think it was important enough to go chasing after facts.
I do note that some people have more balls than brains. Two predators fighting it out, and this fool reaches in with HIS HANDS?!?! Not me, that's for sure! Worse than just any two predators, though, are two POISONOUS predators. That's just moronic, in my view.
How 'bout that idiot who wrapped a rattlesnake around his neck? Even his mama said there's something wrong with THAT boy.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/08/25/lake-elsinore-man-may-lose-hand-after-attempting-to-take-selfie-with-rattlesnake/ [cbslocal.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by kbahey on Tuesday September 01 2015, @02:11PM
Remember Steve Irwin? The Australian crocodile wrestler?
Remember how he died?
He had it coming with all the risks he was taking.
I used to snorkel over very large stingrays in neck high water coral estuaries. There were two of them in that specific spot. Very large. They used to swim away when they saw us.
A surgeon told me how he once had to remove a significant portion of a man's calf muscle. He was stung by a stingray. The guy was casting using a fishing rod, and wore running shoes. He stepped back, and it seems it is the head of the ray. The ray's tail lashed out and the sting hit his calf. He had to be moved from a regional hospital to a central one after necrosis spread.
Shudder ...
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(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 01 2015, @02:12PM
Is it rattlesnake selfie season in the USA?
Another guy did that only a month ago: http://petapixel.com/2015/07/27/man-bitten-while-taking-selfie-with-rattlesnake-gets-153k-hospital-bill/ [petapixel.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday September 01 2015, @03:52PM
Snake selfie season in California, I guess. Of course - maybe I shouldn't be so glib. Stupid seems to be contagious sometimes - it may spread this way.