Stingrays not necessarily deadly

 
 
 
We were as shocked as anyone at the death of "Croc Hunter" Steve Irwin, who died from the business end of a stingray barb while filming in the Great Barrier Reef, if for nothing else than we were "this close" to a whole school of stingrays earlier this summer at the Oklahoma Aquarium in Tulsa. There, you can actually feed the little stingrays in a "touch tank," but they give you a stick to put the food on, probably for liability reasons. Also, did you know that the mascot at Texas City High School is the stingray? We think a lot of people over there pronounce it "stingarees." In any case, rest in peace, Steve Irwin. You seemed like a cool guy and you did a lot for the environment, unlike us, who just complain about it. You probably would agree, if you weren't dead, with what a lot of herpatologists are saying today: Stingrays aren't really bad per se and usually only attack when they feel threatened and are in a defensive posture.