A STINGRAY caused a stir when it was found washed up on the beach a Ballantrae.

On Thursday, February 22, Ayrshire B&B tweeted a picture of the fish and said: “Never seen one of these wash up on the beach in #Ballantrae #SWScotland #Ayrshire.”

A member of the Friend Studies Council in Millport staff said: “I think it’s a sandy ray (Leucoraja circularis), though the markings have faded so it’s hard to say for definite. 

“They’re an endangered species. They can grow up to a metre and a half long, including the tail, are usually light brown/yellow with small thorns on the snout and larger ones on the back and running down the tail.

“They’re a deep water species, so aren’t seen very often, and are fairly widespread along the coast, but numbers are dropping as they are often caught as bycatch by trawlers.”

Sandy Skate (Leucoraja circularis) is a relatively large species found in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

Historically it was found around 100m depth on sandy and muddy bottoms, though it is now mainly found in slightly deeper waters along the edge of the continental shelf and upper slope.