A SOUTHBOURNE resident was surprised to find a stingray on her morning walk along the beach.

Chloe Taylor was taking her dog for a walk early yesterday morning when the pair came across the ray.

Samuel Stone, of the Marine Conservation Society, identified the fish as a small-eyed ray – a coastal species whose numbers were declining when last assessed.

Chloe said: “My dog came across the stingray, so I took a picture of it as I thought it was quite an unusual thing to see.

“I’ve only been living in Bournemouth six weeks and only started taking regular walks along the beach recently so I was quite excited to find this.”

The majority of small-eyed rays are recorded in the southern coasts of England – particularly the South West – as well as Ireland and the west coast of Wales.

They belong to the Rajidae family, which includes skates and rays. Their maximum length is between 80 and 90cm and they can weigh up to 8kg.

They can live for as long as 12 years.

Samuel added: “Small-eyed rays are a coastal species that are a common bycatch of trawl and gillnet fisheries, so beach sightings are probably not uncommon.

“Due to their biological characteristics, like late age at maturity, they are vulnerable to overfishing.

“The status of the stock on the south coast is unknown but was last assessed as declining.”