MAN AND THE SEA, II 63 



superiority in the sea, an environment which for him is foreign, is not physical, 

 but is psychological and intellectual, for the physical elements of this environ- 

 ment prohibit man from being as effective in the sea as he is on land. 



It is not the authors' intention to review the life of the sea minutely for 

 dangerous species. This would require a book in itself (see Bibliography). 

 Instead, the following is a review of the ways in which animals and plants 

 are dangerous, with examples of each. The usefulness of this review depends 

 a great deal on the common sense of the diver. For example, a complete 

 list -of all fishes with sharp spines, sharp gill rakers or heavy teeth would 

 include most of the fishes in the sea. The diver must use his own judgment 

 when handling these fishes. 



Details of the dangers of the species mentioned are described in Chapters 

 7 to 10. 



Passive Dangers 



STINGING, IRRITATING, BITING, AND SPINY ANIMALS 



Most dangers in the sea are passive ones, such as fire coral and the poisonous 

 spines of some fishes, which become dangerous Only through the actions of 

 the diver. It is a good rule never to touch any 'plant or animal which cannot 

 he properly identified. Wear gloves. The dangers from stingers, poisonous spines, 

 etc., exist in a very great number of species. Usually, such mechanisms are used 

 as modes of defense by these creatures, though in some cases they are also 

 food-getting mechanisms, such as the tentacles of the Portuguese man-of-war 

 or those of anemones. But in all cases, man plays the aggressor, and therefore 

 he can almost completely control this aspect of danger merelv bv knowing where 

 the dangers lie. A good example of this is the case of the diver who, having 

 caught an octopus, slung it over his shoulder and was bitten on the back as 

 he carried the octopus up the beach. He died from the poisonous bite in a short 

 while. He was the victim of the now popular belief that octopuses are harmless. 



There is a huge array of species spread throughout most of the phvla of the 

 animal kingdom that can sting or injure with spines and claws. Some of these 

 species advertise their harmful parts, but some do not. On the whole, spines 

 and stings are defensive in purpose and do not cause serious injury, but a 

 few are very dangerous. For this reason the very dangerous species are listed 

 separately. 



Dangerous examples: 



Portuguese Man-of-War; Lion's-mane jellyfish; Sting ravs; Eagle rays; 

 Chimaera; Scorpion fishes; Sea snakes; Octopuses; Squids. 



Less dangerous examples: 



Red tide protozoan; Fire sponge; Poison-bun sponge; Manv sponges with 

 sharp spicules; Many coelenterates with large nematocysts, including some 

 hydroids, anemones, and fire corals; Parasitic flukes which cause "swimmer's 

 itch"; Bristle worms of several species; Biting worms such as Nereis; Cone 

 snails; Sea urchins; Crabs and lobsters with strong spines or claws; Spiny 



