A man had his boat punctured when an endangered skate attacked the bow - leaving its tooth embedded in it.

Paul Hutchison, 41, was on a solo trip off the north coast of Muckle Roe, Shetland, for a spot of fishing and sightseeing when he noticed splashing behind him.

Paul assumed it was a seal, which local fishermen regularly come across.

The animal came up to the surface and rammed Paul's boat five times before he managed to record its final, piercing attack.

Paul heard a hiss of air and immediately turned on his engine and headed for shore, reaching land 25 minutes later.

Paul managed to retrieved a tooth from the bow, which was covered in bite marks.

Paul, a lifeboat technician based in Shetland, Scotland, said: "There was definitely a point where I felt very vulnerable out on that small boat."

"I could see it approaching the boat from the seabed on my sonar scanner each time it surfaced but I still had no idea what it was."

"The sixth time it came to surface, it fully burst the boat and I heard a big hiss of air."

"I knew I had a limited amount of time to get back to shore and I couldn't go full speed because it could damage or deflate the boat further."

"I was relieved to make it back onto dry land, that's for sure."

Paul only realised the attack came from a skate after watching back the video.

Paul said: "Not only is this the first time I had ever seen a skate in the wild but it's the first time anyone has documented the animal attacking a boat."

"I am currently working with the local university, University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), on deciphering why the endangered animal would attack."

"From the tooth which I found embedded in my boat, they have been able to identify it as a critically endangered male flapper skate."

"Right now, the theories around its attack include it seeing the boat as a perceived threat or a foraging opportunity."