While running on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, a man spotted an incredibly strange creature trapped, resembling an extraterrestrial being.
Australian man named Drew Lambert was jogging on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, when he accidentally stumbled upon the corpse of a strange creature that resembled an extraterrestrial being, trapped in seaweed.
According to Lambert, the appearance of this creature is highly perplexing. It has lips that closely resemble those of humans, skin similar to that of a shark, and a tapered lower part that resembles a tail, measuring approximately half a meter in length.
“I have been living in Bondi for 20 years, but I have never seen a creature with such a bizarre appearance,” Lambert stated.
Lambert later posted photos and videos of the creature on a local Facebook group in hopes of finding answers. Under the post, many people presented theories about this creature.
Some people speculated that it was an extraterrestrial creature. Others suggested that the smooth gray skin belonged to a shark, but this theory was quickly dismissed as it lacked the dorsal fin typically found on sharks.
Laetitia Hannan, a supervisor at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, later confirmed that the mysterious creature was a Coffin ray, also known as an Australian bull ray or eagle ray.
The inflated appearance is the result of decomposition processes causing the carcass to fill with gases. The Coffin ray belongs to the genus Hypnos and the family Hypnidae. It is a unique species found only in Australia, commonly found in shallow coastal waters.
This fish species typically reaches a size of around 40cm. It has large pectoral fins and a very short tail, along with small dorsal and caudal fins that are concentrated towards the rear, giving the Coffin ray a distinct pear-like shape.
The Coffin ray is nocturnal and often retreats to sandy or muddy habitats where it can bury itself during the day. It is capable of delivering a powerful electric shock of up to 200 volts for both offense and defense purposes.
The Coffin ray is a carnivorous species and primarily feeds on bony fish found on the seabed. They will capture fish that come near them, even if they exceed their own size.
The peculiar extraterrestrial-like creature found on the beach may have consumed something significantly larger than itself. This could have contributed to its enlarged size.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this species as of least concern, as their population does not appear to be threatened by human activities.