Get to know the lesser weever fish

[Pip]

The pic shows a lesser Weever, which lives in shallow water, (The greater Weever lives in deep water and grows much bigger) This fish grows to about 4 inches, this particular specimen was around that lengh. strange as it may seem the sting from the lesser weever is worse than that from the greater. The fish burrows under the sand until only its dorsal fin is showing, and only comes out when its prey is close enough for it to grab it in its mouth which has some wicked looking teeth. The weever has no swim bladder and is a naff swimmer which is why it hardly moves. The sting in the dorsal fin is used as a means of defence, if a shadow is cast over the fish it will raise its fin. The sting from the weever is described as excrutiating, and the treatment though simple is not always readily available on a secluded beach. If stung (And they can sting even when dead) you should place the affected limb in hot water, as hot as can be tolerated, over 40 centigrade, for 30 to 90 minutes. Sometimes the spines break off in the foot etc, these must be removed before the pain can be eased. The sting has been known to induce heart attacks, and shock, though usually it just causes pain, redness and swelling, its also possible for infection to set in so the site should be checked for a few days.
Well thats the gist of it, I dont think i left out anything important. This was caught off the pier wall at Bridlington, along with about 50 others.
A few symptoms i missed out.
•Severe pain, itching, swelling, heat, redness, numbness, tingling, nausea, vomiting, joint aches, headaches, abdominal cramps, lightheadedness, and tremors may develop.

•More severe reactions involve abnormal heart rhythms, weakness, paralysis, shortness of breath, seizures, decreased blood pressure, and episodes of passing out. (Death may occur. In rare cases, usually very young or very old, or with heart problems etc)



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