Phuket experts baffled by Aussie tourist mystery fish bite

[webfact]

Phuket experts baffled by Aussie tourist mystery fish bite
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Marine experts in Phuket have yet to confirm what bit Australian tourist Jane Neame on the foot.

PHUKET: -- Marine biology experts have yet to confirm what might have bitten an Australian woman’s foot while she was swimming at Karon Beach today (Sept 1).

Marine experts in Phuket have yet to confirm what bit Australian tourist Jane Neame on the foot. Photo:
Jane Neame, 37, entered the surf opposite Karon Police Station at about 8:30am, said Karon chief lifeguard Uten Singsom.

“It was morning, so there weren’t many tourists on the beach,” he said. “My colleague saw her calling for help in the water, which was only chest-deep.”

Lifeguards quickly brought her back to shore, where they discovered what seemed to be bite injuries on her left foot.

“I never seen this kind of injury in entire life,” Mr Uten said.

Ms Neame was was taken Bangkok Hospital Phuket, in Phuket Town, for treatment, while experts set to work trying to figure out

Meanwhile, marine biologists set to work to identify her attacker.

Dr Kongkiat Kittiwatthanawong, Chief of the Marine Endangered Species Unit at the Phuket Marine Biology Centre (PMBC), told The Phuket News, “I could not confirm what it is. My colleague is checking.”

Shark expert Tessapon Krajangdara, a specialist at the Phuket Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre, said it was very unlikely the culprit was a shark.

“It is very rare for tourist to be bitten like this, and I have not been able to confirm precisely which kind of fish bit [Ms Neame’s] foot.

“It is possible that a small hammerhead shark bit her, as they feed in the early morning, but that would be very unusual, and a shark would normally bite a person on the leg [not the foot],’ he said.

“Also, the water where she was swimming is quite deep, but Phuket’s beaches are not known for attracting sharks. I can’t confirm what it is. I have to look at the wound closely in order to tell what kind of sea animal might have done this.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-experts-baffled-by-aussie-tourist-mystery-fish-bite-53910.php

-- Phuket News 2015-09-02

[schlog]

Saw the same kind of bite from a barracuda on la digue.

[FireMedic]

These small bites happen all the time in Florida. Usually very small sharks mistaking a foot for a fish in the surf or murky water. They look exactly the same.

[Argus Tuft]

Barracuda was my first thought. Had a very similar bite in Philippines while diving for work.

[seabass69]

Jane: "There's a hole in my foot!"

Chief lifeguard: "This bandaid on your little toe ought to do the trick".

[Oziex1]

Ouch.

[Tywais]

Barracuda was my first thought. Had a very similar bite in Philippines while diving for work.

Do they have surgeonfish in Thailand? That is a very clean cut it seems and a tail slash from a surgeonfish could leave that kind of damage.

[lust]

They probably have the same detectives from the bkk bombings that were transferred.

They will never catch this culprit either, lol.

[2fishin2]

Barracuda was my first thought. Had a very similar bite in Philippines while diving for work.

Do they have surgeonfish in Thailand? That is a very clean cut it seems and a tail slash from a surgeonfish could leave that kind of damage.

My thoughts exactly. Its too clean to be something else. Although I have seen very clean moray bites. I tend to lean towards the surgeon fish.

[Shot]

Can't be a surgeonfish. They're all on the golf course.

[biplanebluey]

Barracuda was my first thought. Had a very similar bite in Philippines while diving for work.

Do they have surgeonfish in Thailand? That is a very clean cut it seems and a tail slash from a surgeonfish could leave that kind of damage.

Dont tell the Surgeon-------- he'll have her foot off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kkup]

Hmm, looks like a Burmese Barracuda bite.

[Dukeleto]

There is of course the possibility that she may have kicked against a sharp piece of junk protruding from the sand which sheared of a piece of her foot. Sharp piece of glass or metal. It doesn't say that she felt something tugging or pulling on her flesh. it is very strange and is most certainly a very rare occurance here if it was indeed a fish or shark.

[steelepulse]

Barracuda was my first thought. Had a very similar bite in Philippines while diving for work.

Do they have surgeonfish in Thailand? That is a very clean cut it seems and a tail slash from a surgeonfish could leave that kind of damage.

How about a big ass Titan trigger fish. They are super protective of their nests, although one being close to shore without a reef is doubtful, same as surgeonfish.

[robblok]

How about some glass or something else sharp lodged in the sand, you cut a piece of your skin off that way. Though the fact that there is no loose flap of skin does counter that. But could be that that was removed before the picture was taken ect.

[Rimmer]

A friend of mine stepped on a ray in Malysia, it took a chunk out of his foot with the barbs on its tail, very similar to that.

[Barin]

It might have been a bite of mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus).

[grumpyoldman]

A friend of mine stepped on a ray in Malysia, it took a chunk out of his foot with the barbs on its tail, very similar to that.

I have only seen barb "holes" usually in the flat part of the foot above the heel, but if you've seen a wound like that from a stingray, I agree with you, seems that type of animal would be most likely to be where she was. Had she been near rocks, I might suggest an eel, but only sand where she entered the water.

[Old Croc]

The lady was swimming in deep water a fair way out which suggests it was unlikely to be a reef fish.

I think the most likely is the Cookiecutter shark.

Cookiecutter shark bite.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Old Croc

[DLang]

Phuket experts baffled

Fear not. The Thai Visa Experts have it solved already.

[Shasta55]

The lady was swimming in deep water a fair way out which suggests it was unlikely to be a reef fish.

I think the most likely is the Cookiecutter shark.

Cookiecutter_damage.jpg

Cookiecutter shark bite.

Beat me to it. That is certainly a contender.

[Monkeyrobot]

Don't worry about the bite worry about infection , the water there is not very clean this time of year . Load her up with antibiotics or she will have bigger problems like loosing her foot.

[krabi local]

I think she has accidentally stepped on a Blue spotted stingray.

[lee b]

What ever it was they have one nasty bite on them, even if they mistaken her foot for something else in the sea !

[jobwolf]

Saw the same kind of bite from a barracuda on la digue.

This was no fish. This is a sharp object stuck in the water, since when do fish have only one tooth and shark's rip at the meat and don't have a

The lady was swimming in deep water a fair way out which suggests it was unlikely to be a reef fish.

I think the most likely is the Cookiecutter shark.

Cookiecutter_damage.jpg

Cookiecutter shark bite.

It's not Christmas yet or did I miss something.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

There are no fish left on Phukets west Coast.

There is only garbage.

My guess is a beer bottle partially broken and buried in the sand.

She walked past, or jumped up for a wave and an edge of the bottle sliced a piece out of her foot.

Another possibility is, this time of the year, with the onshore winds, there are a lot of those giant light bulbs that they use on the squid boats washed into the west coast. One of those partially smashed would do the trick.

The headline to this story should read:

Australian tourist cuts her foot on trash at Karon beach.

The fish is a scapegoat.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Bulldozer Dawn

[dragonballs]

thank god there are the armchair TVF experts to explain everything

why did not not ask a select panel here first

Edited September 2, 2015 by dragonballs

[DLang]

Barracuda.

Reef Shark.

Sting Ray.

Giant shrimp.

Titan trigger fish.

Surgeonfish

Trash.

Broken beer bottle.

The Thai Visa marine biologists are on the case.

[rtco]

Solved

[BwindiBoy]

There are no fish left on Phukets west Coast.

There is only garbage.

My guess is a beer bottle partially broken and buried in the sand.

She walked past, or jumped up for a wave and an edge of the bottle sliced a piece out of her foot.

Another possibility is, this time of the year, with the onshore winds, there are a lot of those giant light bulbs that they use on the squid boats washed into the west coast. One of those partially smashed would do the trick.

The headline to this story should read:

Australian tourist cuts her foot on trash at Karon beach.

The fish is a scapegoat.

Are you suggesting that no Thai fish would do such a thing?