Experts thought they were being fed a whopper of a fish tale - but when they got to Salem they were astounded to find locals had netted a giant monster from the deep.
Marine biologists from the New England Aquarium were stunned when they set eyes on the corpse of a giant Atlantic manta ray, weighing more than 600 pounds and boasting an 11-foot wing span.
Locals saw the sea beast’s lifeless body floating under Salem’s Essex Bridge yesterday. Jet skiers dragged it to a nearby dock.
“It is very unusual to get this kind of animal in New England. I was surprised when I first saw it,” said Dan Laughlin of the New England Aquarium.
“People have been coming to see it in groups and we have been helping them interpret what their eyes are seeing,” said Laughlin.
He said it is impossible to determine the exact cause of the creature’s death without an autopsy.
“To me, this animal looks very thin and it is half the size of a fully grown adult so it certainly didn’t die of old age,” Laughlin said. Environmental police planned to tow it out to sea last night to “let nature take its course.”
Sea Monster Manta Ray
Sea Monster Manta Ray
