Giant Dead Manta Ray Found Off Mass. Coast

The giant creature was spotted floating in Salem harbor Sunday night and dragged to shore.

Six men were needed to lift the ray up onto the dock so scientists from the New England Aquarium could investigate.

"This is a huge ray," New England Aquarium representative Tony LaCasse said. "It's wingspan is 11 feet from tip to tip, it's 7-feet, 8-inches long, and weighs about 500-to-600 pounds."

The manta ray found in Salem mainly eats plankton and small fish.

It's unclear how the creature died.

This type of ray can be found anywhere from Brazil all the way up the East coast, but it normally likes more tropical waters.

State environmental police planned to dispose of the carcass in deeper waters.