Video shows ‘fever’ of stingrays swimming past a Florida resort

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Video taken outside of a Florida resort shows what appears to be more than a hundred stingrays swimming in the shallow water.

>> Read more trending news

The video, taken by guest Dana Baquero at the Lani Kai Island resort in Fort Myers, was shared by the resort on its Facebook page. The video shows the animals moving as a group, gliding through the water and around swimmers.

“Excuse us, we’re coming through,” a woman can be heard narrating over the video.

Baquero told WSTP that his daughter was the first one to spot the stingrays while the family was visiting relatives.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that it is normal for stingrays to be found off the coast, alone, in pairs, or in larger groups known as “fevers.”

Despite the “defensive venomous barb” at the base of their tail, the FWC says stingrays are not aggressive. The best way to protect yourself from accidentally stepping on one and getting hurt is to do the “Stingray Shuffle.”

Doing the shuffle means instead of taking big steps in the water, you lightly slide or shuffle your feet, which alarms stingrays and gives them time to get away from you, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

©2022 Cox Media Group