Google doodle of the day and .. .. 'திருக்கவாலு'

Another interesting Google doodle this day !  -  Stingrays are commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas. They spend the majority of their time inactive, partially buried in sand, often moving only with the sway of the tide.

1970களில் ஓர் மதியமும் மாலையும் சந்திக்கும் ஒரு நேரம். மெரினா கடற்கரை ~ அன்றைக்கும் இன்றைக்கும் நிறைய மாறியுள்ளது.  அன்று பிரபலம் - 'ரேடியோ பீச்' - மாநில கல்லூரி எதிரில் - ஒரு ரவுண்டானா - அதன் நடுவில் வானொலி இருக்கும்.  மாலை மாநில செய்திகளை கேட்க நிறைய பேர் வருவார்கள்.  சற்று முன் சாலையில் 'மெயில் வெண்டி நின்றிருக்கும்.  வரிசையாக பல டீம்கள் கிரிக்கெட் விளையாடுவார்கள்.  எங்கள் டீமின் அதி வேக பந்து வீச்சாளர்   என்னுடன் படித்த ஒரு மீனவ நண்பன்;  அவனது உறவினர் ஒருவருடன் பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்தான். 

                                      அவரது கையில் ஒரு பை ! - அதீத ஆர்வத்தில் அதைப்பற்றி வினவ, அவர் கூறியது - 'திருக்கவாலு' – [with his pronunciation, little was understood] – another day, asked my classmate again – and that moment was frightened – for it was not simple the tail of fish – but a deadly weapon in gangwar !!  அது திருக்கை எனப்படும் மீனின் வால். திருக்கையின் வால் உடலைவிட நீளமாகவும் இருக்கும். அந்த வாலில் மிக நுண்ணிய முட்கள் ஆயிரக்கணக்கில் இருக்கும். அதை சவுக்கு போன்று பயன்படுத்தினால், படும் இடத்தில் தோல் கழன்று, சதையையும் பிய்த்துக்கொண்டு,  இரத்தக்களரி, இரணைக்களரி தான்.   திருக்கை  என்பது பெரும்பாலும் தட்டை வடிவ உடலும், நீள வாலும் கொண்ட ஓர் நீர்வாழ் உயிரினம் ஆகும்.  இவ் விலங்குக்கு எலும்புக் கூட்டிற்கு மாறாக சுறா மீனைப் போன்ற வளையக்கூடிய அல்லது நீட்சிதரும் (நீண்மையுடைய) குருத்தெலும்பு கொண்டது.

Stingray injuries are caused by the venomous tail spines, stingers or dermal denticles of rays in the order Myliobatiformes, most significantly those belonging to the families Dasyatidae, Urotrygonidae, Urolophidae, and Potamotrygonidae. Stingrays generally do not attack aggressively or even actively defend themselves. When threatened, their primary reaction is to swim away. However, when attacked by predators or stepped on, the stinger in their tail is whipped up. However, this is normally ineffective against sharks, their main predator.  Stings usually occur when swimmers or divers accidentally step on a stingray, but a human is less likely to be stung by simply brushing against the stinger.

Steve and Terri spent their honeymoon trapping crocodiles together. Film footage of their honeymoon, taken by John Stainton, became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. The series debuted on Australian TV screens in 1996 and made its way onto North American television the following year. The Crocodile Hunter became successful in the United States, the UK, and over 130 other countries, reaching 500 million people. The man’s  exuberant and enthusiastic presenting style, broad Australian accent, signature khaki shorts, and catchphrase "Crikey!" became known worldwide. Sir David Attenborough praised him  for introducing many to the natural world.  A controversial incident occurred during a public show in 2004, when he carried his one-month-old son, Robert, in his arm while hand-feeding a chicken carcass to Murray, a 3.8-metre (12 ft 6 in) saltwater crocodile. The infant was close to the crocodile, and comparisons were made in the press to Michael Jackson's dangling his son outside a German hotel window. In addition, some child welfare groups, animal rights groups, and some of his  television viewers criticised his actions as irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse.  He  apologised on the US NBC show.  Though he had been in control of crocs for ages, the  incident prompted the Queensland government to change its crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.

CRIKEY! It is a word made famous by one man, the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. A man who lived in his khakis and spent most of his time darting the bite of a venomous snake, wrangling a crocodile, or rescuing an animal in need of help. He had an infectious personality that was saturated with enthusiasm and a love for life and wildlife alike.  Fatal stings are very rare; when television presenter Steve Irwin was killed in 2006, it was only the second case recorded in Australia since 1945. In Irwin's case, the stinger penetrated his thoracic wall, causing massive trauma.

Stephen Robert Irwin (22 Feb 1962 – 4 Sept 2006), nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter" was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and television personality. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter (1996–2007), an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted with his wife Terri; the couple also hosted the series Croc Files (1999–2001), The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002–2006), and New Breed Vets (2005). They also owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by Irwin's parents in Beerwah, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of the Queensland state capital city of Brisbane.

Irwin died at 44, after being pierced in the heart by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary film titled Ocean's Deadliest. Though his life was cut short when he was impaled through the chest by a stingray in 2006 near the Great Barrier Reef,  his legacy remains immense. He was a popular television personality, a zookeeper, science educator, and a conservationist. He would have been 57 years old today, and a Google Doodle not only honors him, but also the work he dedicated his life to.

In the eyes of critics, his stunts sometimes went too far, there was also a time he was investigated for filming too close to humpback whales and penguins, possibly putting them at risk. (He was never charged with any crime.) Antics aside, his devotion to animals and conservation began long before the show ever existed. His father, Bob Irwin, was a herpetologist who founded a zoo in Queensland, Australia, where Steve grew up. Steve would come to run the park, now called Australia Zoo, and promote the educational and conversation efforts there. “My job, my mission, the reason I’ve been put onto this planet, is to save wildlife,” he once said. He had reason to worry. His Wildlife Warriors charity bought up hundreds of square miles around the world for wildlife conservation. The charity, which is still operating today, is also involved in conservation efforts for animals like Sumatran tigers, koalas, Cambodian elephants, and more. The Australia Zoo even manages a 500-plus-square-mile reserve in the north of Queensland, named after Irwin.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

22^nd Feb 2019.