Sometimes we just have to come to our senses and stop believing everything that we were told back when we were kids. For years and years, I had been fed the idea that stingrays can regenerate and that cutting off their tail does not hurt them. Thankfully, none of this nonsense came from family members but just hearsay from other "wise, old fishermen". Trust me when I say....the tails do not grow back like a lizard's tail. Trust me when I say that it does hurt to have the tail lopped. (While the barb has no feeling, the tail does. Think of it this way, if you get a hangnail, cutting the nail does not hurt but would you chop off your finger? Nope, didn't think so. It would hurt!) Trust me when I say....the stinger can regrow. Although, it takes weeks or even months for the stingray to regrow the stinger, it can and does. In the meantime, the critter is pretty much defenseless. Take off the whole tail and the critter is definitely completely defenseless and all the other sea critters know this.
I caught a small stingray the other evening that had been "de-tailed". Someone had chopped the poor thing's tail completely off and tossed it back into the water. I do know why folks do this and probably can somewhat understand their actions but it truly makes no sense. Yes, that barb can give you a nasty wound or even kill you since it is inside a venom-filled sheath but, if you are so scared of being stabbed, then release the fish unharmed! Just cut the line and let the critter swim free. I promise that it will be happier and just really wants to get away from you as fast as it can. What is the cost of a hook or lure compared to the risk you just took trying to de-tail the stingray? You just did the very thing that could, indeed, cause you to be wounded. Getting close enough to chop off the tail puts you in danger just like getting close enough to a snake to kill it with a shovel. In both cases, the best advice is just to leave the critter be and move away.
A stingray uses that barb as a defense mechanism. It does not search for you and chase you down just to stab you. If you step on it while wading, even that is your fault and not the critter's. When wading in waters where stingrays may be present, do the "Stingray Shuffle" (shuffle your feet along the bottom instead of taking high steps) and the stingray will scoot in the opposite direction. It really wants nothing to do with humans at all...we are scary! If you catch one on your line, merely cut the line. If you are using hooks that rust in a few days, the fish will be fine and can go on about its merry way. Makes sense. I have no problem unhooking the stingrays and releasing them even without the drastic measures that some folks take.
After taking the above photograph, I unhooked this fish, apologized for the actions of some non-thinking human and released the fish back into the water. Hopefully, the critter will not have too hard of a life and will be able to escape any imminent danger by just swimming fast! While I do not have a problem with folks who eat fish (I do!), I do not see doing pointless harm to any critter. If you catch a fish and wish to eat it, by all means do! Just do not harm critters because of your own fear which is what this basically is. Live and let live.
It is a common bit of knowledge that certain critters have the power to regenerate body parts. While this is mainly evident in animals such as lizards and starfish, even humans can do it to a certain extent. Our bodies have the ability to mend broken bones and heal open wounds. Frogs and toads can regenerate some when they are tadpoles but adults cannot. Crustaceans usually are remarkable at regrowing lost limbs but fish and birds can only heal their bodies. Lizards, however, are a prime example of regeneration of entire body parts! A lizard can "lose" its tail at will when a predator threatens.This behavior is called Autotomy or self-amputation. This detached body part wiggles and thrashes about causing a distraction so the (wounded) lizard can make a hasty escape. Most of the time this defense mechanism works but then the poor lizard has to go through a major healing process. Although, a lot of folks cram alligators and snakes in together with lizards when discussing "reptiles", neither of these can do the magical regeneration that the lizard does. And that is where we stand today....lizards regenerating!
First off, I made a remarkable find today while cleaning up a bit in the back yard. Mark had been working on the old crab traps and left a few remnants on the shed deck. A lizard (yes, this was my remarkable find!) had taken refuge in one of the old traps. Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess Cat, was eyeing the poor critter so the trap was acting as a fort for the lizard. Two things made this lizard remarkable from my point of view. One....this was a Brown Anole. So? Why is that important? Well, up until this guy, no BROWN Anoles had called the Bayou home. We have Green Anoles. Although the greens do have the ability to change to brown they should not be confused with Brown Anoles. They are a whole different critter. Saying the two are one and the same would be like mistaking a Rat Snake for a Cottonmouth. The lizards are completely different. Why? Well, the main reason is some scientific stuff about families and species but my reason is Brown Anoles just do not live in Mississippi...or at least until now. These lizards are actually found in Cuba and the Bahamas. Those places are a far piece from the Bayou! But lately, the lizards have found their way to Florida and then migrated on to Georgia. I am assuming that they are on the move again and have found their way here. Actually, I sort of have a hint of how this particular one came to the Bayou. Even though it seems to be quite the bizarre scenario, I think the critter actually took a boat ride here. Recently, Mark bought a boat and towed it here from down near Florida. Obviously, a Brown Anole hitched a ride and now has no return ticket. So, the critter settled in and made itself at home.
The second remarkable thing about this lizard is the fact that, obviously, Ms. Nycto thought the thing looked delicious and attacked. Her attempt at securing supper resulted in the "de-tailing" of the lizard. (She has yet to master the fine art of hunting.) This is not my first encounter with the Brown Anole either. A few weeks ago, I noticed the strange looking lizard clinging to a piece of plywood. It looked a bit worse for wear and was missing its tail. Fast forward to today and the anole is appearing to be healing right fine. Its tail is regrowing! The wound has healed and a fine, albeit, darker tail is sprouting! In a few more weeks, this tail will be an exact replica of the amputated one. In the meantime, however, the lizard has to be careful. It dares not take the chance of losing its tail again. That would mean weeks more of being vulnerable to Ms. Nycto's and other predators' attacks.
Should I allow this "alien" invasive critter to take up residence on the Bayou? Do I want my poor Green Anoles to have undue competition for food and livelihood? Should I just allow the cat to devour this one and hope that no others rode along on the boat? Personally, I do not plan on making any rash decisions on whether one critter lives or dies. The Brown Anole has already had one wild ride and has met with dire circumstances when it faced the cat in battle. Besides, it eats plenty of bugs and the Bayou seems to have a never-ending supply of those. I need every helping hand I can get. If I can tolerate the invasive Nutria Rats that found their way here, I suppose a lizard can stay. Live and let live is a good motto in this instance.
