A HEARTBREAKING image shows a stingray’s horrified face after being captured by a ravenous seal.
Tina Roberts captured the distressing photograph while she was on a walk around Lizard Point in Cornwall on Monday.
The amateur photographer thought she snapped a photograph of the seal tangled with a carrier bag at first.
But on closer inspection, Tina soon realised that the plastic bag was in fact a distressed ray.
Tina managed to snap the image before the commotion was over showing the seal with its head just above the water and its jaws locked around the stingray’s fin.
The ray’s white underbelly can be seen above the water while its usually downwards mouth and expression appears amplified by the seal’s attack.
In a turn of events though, Tina said that she believed that the fish had been lucky and may have managed to escape.
Speaking today, Tina from Falmouth, Cornwall said: “I was walking around Lizard Point in Cornwall and saw a seal, which I thought was either playing with a carrier bag or had been tangled somehow.
“We have a seal sanctuary at Gweek so if a seal is in distress it can be reported.
“I zoomed my camera in to check and when I looked at the shot could see what it actually was.
“I was pretty excited and surprised to be honest.
“I only managed to take one photo, it was over pretty quick.
“Next I saw the seal was just swimming about so it either ate very fast or the ray got away!”
Tina later posted her well-timed picture to Facebook on Monday, writing: “Yes it’s a bit blurry.
“At first I thought it was a carrier bag but blimey I chuffed at this.
“Taken today at Lizard point.”
The nature snapshot now holds over 400 likes and dozens of comments of users sympathising with the animal.
One user wrote: “Brilliant capture! Is that a seal catching a fish (ray)?”
Whilst another wrote: “Ray doesn’t look very happy.”
One member commented: “Tina great picture, the ray’s expression says it all.”
Another user said: “Amazing capture!
“Once in a lifetime to see something like this.”
And another user replied: “Look at the face on the fish! Comically tragic.”
