“I just looked at it… What the hell, does this fish have human lips on it? It looked like it was puckering up for a kiss,” Lambert exclaimed to Yahoo News.
Most local residents initially believed the creature to be a bloated stingray, speculating that the curled tail and swollen appearance occurred post-mortem. This assumption stemmed from the fact that the animal’s mouth was located on its underside and its grey, leather-like skin resembled that of a shark.
However, one astute user identified the creature as an Australian numbfish, known for producing electricity when touched. Laetitia Hannan, supervisor at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, confirmed that the creature was indeed a numbfish, also known as a coffin ray.
According to Hannan, numbfish, a type of elasmobranch, have a tendency to bite off more than they can chew and may ingest something too large for their own good, contributing to their enlarged size. She further explained that the bloated appearance was a result of the decomposition process, which fills the bodies of deceased animals with gas.
The appearance of this peculiar creature with “human-like lips” on Bondi Beach has sparked fascination and curiosity among locals and online observers. While the mystery of its presence has been solved, it serves as a reminder of the diverse and often baffling array of marine life found in the world’s oceans.
