A distinctively weird and rarely seen fish washed ashore at the Casuarina Coastal Reserve in Australia. Wildlife officials say it’s a bottlenose wedgefish (Rhynchobatus australiae), a bottom-dwelling ray in the guitarfish family.
“This distinctive species, known for its broad, wedge-shaped snout, is a bottom-dweller and is typically found in deeper ocean waters 60 metres [about 200 feet] below the surface,” wrote the Northern Territory Government of Australia’s Department of Lands, Planning and Environment in a press release. “They feed on a variety of crustaceans (e.g. crabs and lobsters), molluscs and various bottom-dwelling fish.”
[RELATED: What Just Washed Ashore in New Zealand? It’s Extremely Rare.]
Wedgefishes don’t wash up on beaches very often, so the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment says sightings are “extremely rare.” The nearly six-foot-long animal was unfortunately dead, but there were no obvious signs of injury or harm.
“The team collected essential data, including taking a tissue sample for the museum’s collection,” wrote the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment. “This sample will be used to deepen understanding of the species’ genetic makeup and population diversity.”
Read the press release and see photos of the weird fish that washed ashore in Australia here.
Header image by apteryx54 (CC BY 4.0)