Whilst on holiday in Kos last week I had the misfortune to stand on what local people called a Dragon fish. The pain was absolutely excruciating, far more than I thought would have been possible from a Fish! The treatment from a local doctor consisted of cutting my foot open with a scalpel blade and applying some form of suction device to the area. Afterwards I was given a very large injection of anti histemines. Several minutes after the injection the numb feeling in my foot subsided, although about a week later my foot is very painful if I stand in certain ways, altering weight distribution can bring this effect on. Immediately after standing on this creation from Hell itself I swear that I could see a tiny spike or barb sticking from one of the three wounds. Is this normal or was I deluding myself, and how long is it normally till all pain subsides?

How long the pain lasts is hard to say although the doctor cutting into your foot with a scalpel sounds a bit drastic!!! I would however contact your own doctor as it is possible that a spine could have broken off and was left in your foot.

As the sea is not that clean I would go and have your foot looked at in case it becomes sceptic. The usual treatment is to bath the wound in hot water. the use of anti-histamines was probably to control the swelling however it is always best to get these things looked at my your own doctor in the UK.

Last Sunday I was fishing Sandy Hook channel when I caught a Stargazer. Luckily for me, Not recognizing the fish I was not going to touch it using my common sense. Using needle nose pliers and hook degougers I took the hook out and released the fish back into the sea. The fellows I talk with on a fishing site told me about it. What I would like to know is how bad is the shock from one of these fish. The guys told me its worse out of the water than in it. Can you please enlighten me about this? Thanks in advance.

I think you did the right not having rubber gloves and all .........The shock from this fish is very painful out of water but due to the effects of the water dissipating the electricity from a local focalised point the shock

is reduced. This however is still a very effective defence as some species of fish are very sensitive to electric currents (sharks etc..). When I fish I use the simple rule treat everything with care, if indoubt do not touch.

I'm doing an A-level project on seaweed desiccation. I am measuring the desiccation of seaweeds from different distances from the high tide mark. Would it be better to compare different types of seaweeds within the different zones or stick to something like Fucus serratus and measure the desiccation from different distances from the high tide mark (which I have already collected data for!)? Also do you have any info. on the cell walls and other factors relating to the desiccation of Fucus serratus?

It is probably easier to use one species of seaweeds as the main focus of the report detailing how the various external effects affect the species using other species to compare and contrast the morphology and structure to the test species, such as fucus serratus. You will find small pockets of this species higher up the shore isolated from the main population due to local sheltered micro-environments such as rock pools. But in general this species is a good one to chose due to the position and relatively confined span within the zones. A nice idea would be to concentrate on the 4 fucus spp. F.ceranoides (horned wrack), F.serratus, F.spiralis and Fucus vesiculosus (bladder wrack), and a few other species found higher up the inter-tidal zone.

Remember to include factors such as frond strength and rigidty relating to their position on the shore, Seaweeds that can move with the waves are least prone to breaking and can grow quicker due to the thinner structure but this morphology also makes them prone to water loss and predatation. Predatation is also an important factor as lots of marine organisms feed or live on the aglae and where these are found can determine the concentration of the seaweed. ie more predators (grazers) in a zone less seaweed. Larger width of fronds = increased surface area for photosynthesis but are also an increased area for water loss by evaporation.

As for cell structure you could try cutting small thin sections and having a look under the microscope (cross section). either fresh or using a stain such as iodine or methylene blue or some other stain (speak to you biology teacher to see if the school/college has microscopes and staining equipment). Any book relating to Phycology (Study of algae) should be of use or books on seaweeds such as

As i did not study seaweed morphology this is the best I can offer and I hope it has given you some ideas. Other things that determine zones are exposure to wave action (breaks up seaweeds, or grinds them with sand, pebbles in the water etc.) Competition (from faster growing spp. blocking out the light) Predatation (grazing species) etc.....

hi! i have recently had the misfortune of stepping on the blasted fish (Trachinus vipera) wading knee-deep in water on a sardinian beach. luckily, a local woman took me to a doctor, who immediately knew what had happened. The treatment he administered was different from everything I have so far read on the web (hot water or just tough it out). He gave me a cortisone shot in the butt, and some other shot that I never discovered the nature of (doctor spoke only Italian, a language I have no command of). I was also put on a mini course of antibiotics. 10 minutes after the shots the pain subsided (and I had been just about ready for a coup de grace). The four little punctures on my foot are still slightly sensitive to touch a week later, but it's nothing compared to the excruciating pain I experienced before the cortisone shot. Then I put ice on the swelling and after about 5 hours my foot was again its normal size and I walked without difficulty.

Not being a doctor I can only guess why this form of treatment was prescribed in your case, But this is the first time I have heard of Cortisone being used as a treatment. Cortisone or its derivatives I think is used as an anti-inflammatory, used to treat local inflammation of the joints and soft tissues. This could explain its use by the doctor and the subsequent reduced swelling. The other injection could be anything from anti-venom (really used-only in extreme cases) to an antibiotic to prevent infection or a pain killer-hence the loss of pain in the foot.

Thanks for your question and sorry I cannot be of more help, but it is very interesting to hear of other cures/treatment involving the Weeverfish. As for their effectiveness and safety I am unqualified to pass judgment.

Do you know anything about Top Shells, As everyone I ask has no idea what I am talking about, and this isn't very encouraging when my biology field work is based on them. Any response would be gratefully received.

Most species of Top shells can be found attached to the rocks,seaweed's etc... On the middle shore downwards. Their shell is conical in shape and circular in section with a coating of mother-of-pearl` on the inside. A horny or calcareous operculum closes the mouth of the shell when the snails foot is withdrawn.