Dragon-shaped skeleton washed up on the coast of New Zealand

The skeleton has many cartilage joints, long spine and head like a dragon that washed into the near shore area, intriguing for New Zealand seafarers.

Maria Lombard, a local resident, caught the skeleton at the edge of Waitarere beach, near Levin, New Zealand. Lombard took some pictures and posted them on Facebook on February 9. "I think it's like a dragon with head and spine , " Lombard shares with Stuff.co.nz.

The skeleton of strange creatures washed up on the coast of New Zealand.(Photo: Facebook).

At first, Lombard thought that this two meter long sea creature was an eel. Due to curiosity, she contacted Te Papa Tongarewa Museum and quickly received answers about the origin of the skeleton. According to Te Papa Museum, this is the remains of slippery stingray fish (Dipturus innominatus) . Specifically, the skeleton includes the skull and spine of the animal.

A slippery stingray.(Photo: Clinton Duffy / Auckland Museum).

According to Grind TV, slippery rays can be nearly 2.4 meters long, only weak at depths of 15 - 1,280m and popular in New Zealand waters. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) places slippery stingrays on a list of threatened species because fishermen often catch them.

The slippery stingray is ready to mate at 13 years old. If not caught, this animal can live for more than 24 years.