A tourist and her friend were shocked to discover that a deadly animal that could have caused serious harm or death was lurking in the waters underneath them during an excursion on their vacation.
Fabiana Palano, 27, was on the island nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean at the end of October when she decided to take a boat tour with a local guide. However, just as she was about to get off the boat at the end of her experience, the guide spotted a stonefish in the water and told her to wait.
“I was a bit scared and a bit curious,” Palano told Newsweek. “I have never seen a stonefish before and it really surprised me how the local guy was able to spot him under the sand. It was invisible to me.”
Palano shared a video of the incident to TikTok, which has received over 301,000 views since it was shared on November 12. In the clip, the tour guide uses a long spear to point out a white blob in the clear water, something that looks unsuspecting to someone who isn’t familiar with stonefish.
The guide then pokes the fish with the spear and lifts it above the water, with the creature appearing brown in color, wide-bodied, and with broad, round fins on its sides and smaller fins on top.
“It’s very dangerous if you step on this,” the guide can be heard saying. Later in the video, we see a close up of the fish on the sandy beach, showing its frowning face and spiky fins.
Stonefish are found in rocky or muddy bottoms of marine habitats in the Indo-Pacific region, which includes the waters of Mauritius.
The fish has 13 fins lining its back and releases venom under pressure, like being stepped on, for example. However, they do not actively attack humans. Stings require immediate medical attention and can lead to death if untreated.
Palano said: “Sea life always makes me curious. I was sad about the death of the fish, but there were kids playing around, and it was going to be very dangerous to leave the fish there and risk the life of the kids.”
Mauritius, located around 1,240 miles off the eastern coast of Africa, is an increasingly popular holiday destination. According to Mauritius Statistics, an official government body in the country, the number of tourists arriving in Mauritius increased from 997,290 in 2022 to 1,295,410 in 2023.
TikTok users shared their thoughts on Palano’s video in the comments section. Sakura Bella Vita said: “Between stone fish and sea urchins Mauritius sea life really wants to stab you.”
@Lifeisablessing4real commented: “Poor fish.”
“That’s sad he killed it,” posted @ThisgirlJT. “You don’t have to be there, it’s his pool,” added Shelly.
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