Stingray Stings Symptoms and Treatment

Most of the time stings are not deadly

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A stingray sting can be very painful and can also cause symptoms like nausea and muscle cramps. In rare cases, you may have trouble breathing. However, stingray stings are generally not fatal unless you receive multiple stings or they occur in a vital part of the body.

Stingrays have whip-like tails with barbed ends that are used purely for defense. The barbs deliver a painful venom comprised of proteins that can cause tissue death (necrosis) around the site of the injury.

This article describes the causes and symptoms of stingray stings, including what to do if you get stung.

stingray
Paul Kay / Getty Images

How Does a Stingray Sting?

A stingray's stinger is called a caudal barb. Depending on the species of stingray, there may be one, two, or three barbs.

A caudal barb is actually a modified scale covered by a layer of skin and mucus. The stingray's venom is kept in grooves on the underside of the barb (unlike many venomous creatures that have venomous glands). Stingrays deliver venom by whipping their tail and piercing the skin with their barbs.

Stingrays are not usually aggressive. Stings tend to occur when people accidentally step on a stingray or surprise it in some other way.

Australian conservationist Steve Irwin was killed in 2006 when a stingray struck at him several times, hitting him in the chest. However, his death was not the result of venom; rather, the stinger penetrated Irwin's chest wall and pierced his heart, causing massive bleeding.

How Common Are Stingray Stings?

There are approximately 1,500 stingray stings in the United States every year. Most of the stingray stings happen on warm beaches in states like Florida and California.

Symptoms of a Stingray Sting

Because most stingray stings come from creatures that have been stepped on, most injuries happen on the feet and legs. Fishermen are often stung on the arms as they try to remove the fish from a line or net.

Symptoms of a sting vary by the species and size of the stingray but may include:

  • Extreme pain that can persist for up to two days
  • Bleeding
  • Swelling and redness
  • Blueish skin discoloration
  • Bruising

After the initial injury, the pain can rapidly increase and become extremely intense and throbbing. The pain is usually at its worst during the first 90 minutes but should gradually subside within six to 48 hours. If you are stung on the foot, the pain can spread up the leg.

A stingray sting can cause mild or major bleeding depending on the size and location of the wound.

Because stingray venom causes local tissue death, the wound is vulnerable to infection. Rather than healing normally, the wound can remain open and allow bacteria or fungi easy access to underlying tissues.

In addition, the barb can sometimes break off during the attack and get embedded in the skin. Surgery sometimes is needed to remove deeply embedded stingers.

What to Do if a Stingray Stings

If you or someone you know is stung by a stingray, don't panic. The sting may be painful but is usually not dangerous.

Once you get to shore, here is what you should do:

  1. Irrigate the wound with fresh water, if available, or seawater if there is not. Wash away any sand or debris.
  2. Control any bleeding by applying direct pressure to the wound.
  3. Gently remove any small pieces of stinger from the wound. Do not remove stingers from the chest, neck, or abdomen.
  4. Soak the wound in hot water until the pain diminishes. The water should be hot enough to tolerate (around 110 F) but not scalding. Alternately, place towels soaked in hot water over the wound. Hot water can help disperse the venom and draw it out of the wound.
  5. Wash the wound with soap and water.
  6. Cover the wound with a clean bandage and cloth.
  7. Go to the nearest urgent care center or emergency room. Even if the wound looks relatively mild, the hospital staff will likely want to take X-rays to ensure the wound is clean. A tetanus shot will likely be given. Painkillers and antibiotics may also be prescribed.

For the next couple of days, keep the wound clean, changing the dressing as needed to avoid infection.

When to Call 911

Some stingray wounds are serious. There have even been rare instances where a person has had a severe allergic reaction (known as anaphylaxis) to stingray venom.

For these reasons, it is important to call 911 if:

  • There is severe bleeding.
  • The stinger is deeply embedded in the neck, abdomen, or between the ribs of the chest.
  • The person experiences wheezing, difficulty breathing, dizziness, rapid or irregular heartbeats, vomiting, fainting, or other signs of anaphylaxis.

How to Prevent Stingray Stings

If you know that stingrays frequent the waters you are in, the best way to prevent getting stung is by doing the "stingray shuffle." This simply means dragging your feet through the sand rather than stomping flat-footed. This can give a stingray a warning sign of your approach, and it will most likely swim away.

The only downside to the stingray shuffle is that you may end up stubbing your toe on a rock.

Summary

A stingray sting is usually not deadly but can be very painful. If you get one, rinse the wound, stop the bleeding, and soak the wound in hot water. You should then go your nearest emergency room or urgent care center to have it checked out.

6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Kirchhoff KM, Billion A, Voolstra CR, Kremb S, Wilke T, Vilcinskas A. Stingray venom proteins: mechanisms of action revealed using a novel network pharmacology approach. Mar Drugs. 2022 Jan;20(1):27. doi:10.3390/md20010027

  2. Jani BK, Mohanty C. Hazardous marine life: stingray injury and its multimodal management. J Mar Med Soc. 2019;21(2):182. doi:10.4103/jmms.jmms_24_19

  3. Biography. Steve Irwin biography.

  4. Rensch GP, Elston DM. Aquatic antagonists: stingray injury update. Cutis. 2019;103(3):138-140.

  5. County of Los Angeles Fire Department. Stingray information handout.

  6. American College of Emergency Physicians. Jellyfish and stingray stings.

Additional Reading
  • Clark AT, Clark RF, Cantrell FL. A Retrospective Review of the Presentation and Treatment of Stingray Stings Reported to a Poison Control System. Am J Ther. 2016 Feb 5.

  • Clark RF, Girard RH, Rao D, Ly BT, Davis DP. Stingray Envenomation: A Retrospective Review of Clinical Presentation and Treatment in 119 Cases. J Emerg Med. 2007 Jul;33(1):33-7.

By Rod Brouhard, EMT-P
Rod Brouhard is an emergency medical technician paramedic (EMT-P), journalist, educator, and advocate for emergency medical service providers and patients.