Katharina Buczek
On July 16, April Jones and her family took part in the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo– an annual fishing tournament with a total awards package valued up to one million dollars.
But, after April, her husband and son began fishing near Dauphin Island, Alabama, the group experienced one of the rarest occurrences ever.
A massive female Spotted Eagle Ray flew out of the sea, hit April’s shoulder, and landed on the family’s boat.
The ray weighed over four hundred pounds and had a wingspan of five feet.
“This thing was beautiful. We think the reason she jumped was due to remora being stuck to her belly,” April wrote in a Facebook update.
Remoras will often suction to rays since the species have a symbiotic relationship: remoras help remove parasites from rays, while the rays allow remoras to travel to food and shelter sites quicker.
In this instance, though, perhaps the Spotted Eagle Ray was trying to shake some loose before inadvertently landing in the Jones’ boat.
The show-stopping appearance definitely terrified the female ray, though. The Jones family attempted to lift her back into the water, but the ray was too heavy to handle– especially while thrashing about.
Facebook; pictured above is a photo of the ray that April shared
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