Fishermen catch a big fish - level 3
A group of fishermen in Peru have made a pretty big find. The men working in the northwest of the country discovered a huge manta ray which local media have said weighs just over a tonne. It is said to have swam into the fishermen's net as they trawled for fish in a homemade wooden boat.
The enormous creature was found in the La Crove cave in waters near the border with Ecuador on Saturday. The 26 feet-long (8 meters) manta ray had to be transported by tow truck. Fisherman Eric Cruz said it was so big, it could not be loaded onto their boat.
“We pulled at it. We picked it up and it became so entangled that we couldn't get it out. We tied the manta ray at the side of the boat, lifted the anchor, and as it was dead, we took the opportunity to bring it back.”
Manta rays are in the same biological order as smaller stingrays. In ancient Peru, the manta ray was often represented in art where they were feared because of their size. Sailors believed they basically ate fish and sank boats and it was not until the late 70’s that perceptions began to change when it was realised that they were actually pretty placid and harmless to humans.
Difficult words: huge (very big), trawl (to pull a trawl net – a large fishing net), enormous (very big), creature (animal), tow truck (a truck for moving heavy things), pull (to move around), entangled (to be caught in something), biological order (scientific description of animals), perception (the way people think about something), placid (calm and peaceful).