A great loss, I used to enjoy watchin steve's programmes, he was a great character and did alot of australia.
I honestly can't believe it....
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The short-tail stingray (Dasyatis brevicaudata) also known as the smooth stingray, belongs to the stingray family Dasyatidae. It is sometimes confusingly called the bull ray, although that names is generally used for the genus Pteromylaeus. The short-tail stingray is found on the continental shelf in the Indian Ocean, and around temperate and subtropical coasts of Australia and New Zealand, at depths of up to 470 m.[2][3] It is reputed to be the largest stingray in the world; the diameter of its disk is up to 2 m (6 ft), its length (including tail) is up to 4.3 m (14 ft), and it weighs as much as 350 kg (770 lb).[4]
The short-tail stingray is an ovoviviparous[5] and is large and plain with a bluntly angular snout and pectoral disc with round tips, a thick-based tail shorter than the body, and with a small upper and a long lower caudal finfold, the lower not reaching the tail tip. The tail ends in a vertically flattened fin-like tip. The disc is smooth except for a large, slender thorn on the tail in front of the stings. There are often 2 stings, the front one small, the rear one considerably larger, which bear toxin glands. Its coloration is grey-brown or bluish-grey dorsally with a row of small, pale blue spots at each pectoral fin base, and white ventrally. [6]
They are generally found on soft bottoms and feed on crabs, mantis shrimp, bivalves, polychaetes, crustaceans and conger eels.[7] Its teeth are flattened and plate-like. This species is only found as far north as Maroochydore.[4]
A large group off the coast of New Zealand.
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A large group off the coast of New Zealand.
It frequently raises its tail with barb in a scorpion-like fashion when approached. Though it can inflict severe wounds, it is considered more inquisitive than aggressive.[4]
You make a point there, but there is more to his behavior than just "provokating" dangerous animals. Species classed as dangerous ones are most of times the most endangered ones, precisely because they're thought to be ruthless and cruel, and so are exterminated without creating a fuss in people's opinion.EKE wrote:
What I have no desire to see is a bloke (admittedly an enthusiastic and allegedly nice bloke) holding his child while feeding a croc. That was just sensationalism and not necessary.
Isn't "showing what they could do"... "information about the animal's behaviour"?EKE wrote:Did he bring new information about animal's behaviour to the world or just show what they could do?
Pussycat of the sea. LOL. These things are anything buy pussycats.EKE wrote:I do want to see what happened to him, not out of morbid curiosity, but to see if he provoked the "pussy cat of the sea" into defending itself or was the victim of an unfortunate accident.
Australia has only had three deaths from stingrays before Steve's demise, but were any of these caused by people provoking the animals? I guess Steve's was, but I say again, I don't know.