‘ABSOLUTELY SCARY’

Woman Describes Moment Pregnant 400-Pound Sea Creature Jumped Into Boat

The eagle ray was so big, it took four men to return it to the waters from where it came.

A woman has described the moment a pregnant, 400-pound spotted eagle ray hurled itself out of the water and into her fishing boat, smacking her along the way. April Jones was taking part in the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo at Dauphin Island on July 16 when the ray suddenly landed in her boat, striking her on the way down. “This thing was beautiful but 400+ lbs jumping in a boat and hitting you doesn’t feel good and absolutely scary,” she wrote on Facebook. Jones said she suffered a shoulder injury and sore collarbone due to the impact. She said she believes the ray jumped because a remora, or sucking fish, had attached itself to its belly. “This is a story you would have needed to see to believe,” she wrote in a post on Facebook. “God made some beautiful creatures!” It took four men to get the sea creature back into the water and while the ray survived, its babies did not.