Stingrays across the lagoons of the Maldives 

Photography by Valji Varia
www.natural-variation.com
Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks and consist of eight families. Stingrays are common in coastal tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world.
Stingrays are not usually aggressive and only attack humans only when they are accidentally stepped on. Contact with the spinal blade or blades causes trauma, pain, swelling, muscle cramps from the venom and later, may result in infection from bacteria or fungi. The injury is very painful, but rarely life-threatening, and he blade is frequently barbed and usually breaks off in the wound. The stingray venom causes cell death.