Battle of venom: sea snake vs stonefish
A Darwin man has stumbled upon two venomous sea creatures locked in each other’s jaws.
On 27 August, spear fisherman Rick Trippe discovered a sea snake and a stonefish while diving in Darwin Harbour. Both were biting each other.
• Rare ‘living fossils’ we thought extinct are being found
• Earth to Mars: NASA’s bold experiment
• Giants from the abyss still haunt our planet
He scooped the feuding pair into his boat with his bare hands for a closer look. Naturally.
“I knew this was dangerous,” Mr Trippe told the BBC. To prevent injury, he grabbed the snake under its mouth.
“I knew if I grabbed it I wouldn’t get the bitten.”
It seems the snake won the battle, though it might have been a pyrrhic victory, as stonefish are one of the most venomous fish in the world.
The fish secrete a powerful neurotoxin from their dorsal fin spines. In one of Mr Trippe’s photos, the fish’s spines can be seen near the snake’s body.
Want to see more stories from The New Daily in your Google search results?
- Click here to set The New Daily as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "The New Daily". That's it.
