A TikToker has filmed himself playing with one of the most dangerous fish in the world, after accidentally stepping on it.
Juliano Bayd (@julianobayd), 21, regularly posts videos about the strange creatures he often encounters in Australia, from spiders and crabs through to fishes and possums.
In one of his latest posts, we see him playing around with a large, spiny fish that’s chilling in the shallows of the sea.
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“Anyone know what this is?” Bayd asked in the video, in which he playfully moves the fish’s mouth with his finger to make it look like it’s singing.
In the caption, he added: “No fish were harmed in this interaction, in fact I’m pretty sure he enjoyed it.”
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Many concerned TikTokers replied to Bayd to say they feared it was a stonefish – although given his experience with marine wildlife, it's possible was very much aware of what he was dealing with.
“The most venomous fish in the world,” one person told Juliano, to which he replied: “The cutest* fish in the world.”
Someone else commented: “Isn’t it a stone fish one of the most venomous fish in the world?”
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A third said: “Bro is risking his life don’t touch the top.”
Another advised: “Sir that’s a stone fish right [there] and [they’re] highly venomous.”
Bayd told Daily Mail Australia that he found the sea creature while out on a walk at low tide at Dunwich on Stradbroke Island, east of Brisbane, Queensland.
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He said: “I relocated him when I accidentally stepped on his head with reef shoes, so I'm really lucky.”
According to the Queensland Museum, stonefish are 'the most venomous of all fishes'. They are found throughout shallow coastal waters of the northern half of Australia, usually "lying motionless, often partially buried in the substrate and perfectly camouflaged among surrounding coral, rocky reef, rubble, or aquatic plants".
The museum says stonefish have 13 'sharp strong dorsal fin spines' that are contained with a sheath of thick skin.
"At the base of each spine there are two venom glands that discharge their contents along ducts in the spine," its website explains.
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"When disturbed, the fish erects its spines, but maintains its position on the sea floor.
"Stings usually occur to the feet of swimmers or waders who have ventured away from clean sandy substrate and closer to the more complex bottom structure preferred by the stonefish. Multiple spines can often penetrate affected limbs, resulting in more extensive envenomation. The pain is immediate, excruciating and may last for many days. Muscular paralysis, breathing difficulties, shock, and sometimes heart failure and death can ensue."
To prevent stings, you should wear sturdy footwear while on reef flats or wading on 'soft-bottom substrates adjacent to rocky or weedy areas'.
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However, if you are unlucky enough to fall victim to one, thankfully an antivenene has been developed - so in the event of a sting, leave the water, apply first aid and seek medical attention ASAP.
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Jess Hardiman