Laurence Dollimore
Un pez manta esta mañana en la playa de la Malagueta. @auladelmar pic.twitter.com/xjsNg2HPCD
— Santi Souviron (@santisouviron) July 11, 2019
THIS is the moment a stingray was spotted on the shores of a beach on the Costa del Sol yesterday afternoon.
The footage shows the fish metres from swimmers in the waters of La Malagueta beach as they try to coax it back out to sea.
The footage was recorded by journalist Santiago Souviron who shared the clip on Twitter.
The ray, according to local expert Francisco Pinto, is around six to seven years old and is of medium size.
Its sting and poison can be fatal, although usually in exceptional circumstances.
Steve Irwin was famously killed by the fish when he was stung in the chest in 2006.
The sting penetrated his heart and immediately sent the poison pumping around his body.
Yesterday’s stingray spent an hour and half swimming around the same area.
Witnesses said it appeared to be disorientated by the large amounts of people in the water.
Some touched the stingray in a bid to make it leave, which could have ended in a fatal stinging.
The fish, a close relative of the shark, eventually left the area.
Jesus Bellido, a biologist from the Aula del Mar told Diario Sur that if a stingray is spotted it should be left alone.
