A bizarre-looking rotting sea creature has washed up on a shore in the United States.
The photos posted to Reddit by user Kristine Tillotson show an animal with needle-like teeth, dead on a pile of rocks. Parts of its body are peeling away as it appears to be decomposing. In the caption, Ms. Tillotson asked for help identifying the creature and said she encountered the animal on Mill Beach in Brookings, Oregon.
Since the post was shared, the post has gone viral on social media. Several users commented on the photos, speculating on what it could be. One user wrote: “I think it’s called Aaaaagh!!” Another user speculated that it could be a wolf eel — a species that lives in the North Pacific.
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However, a third user pointed out that “the teeth are not big enough for a wolf eel and lingcod is known for replacing teeth every day, so you can see the rows of new teeth shrinking.”
According to news weekTillotson revealed that a bone-collecting group, as well as a marine biologist group on Reddit, agree that the bizarre creature is a type of eel called a monkey-head spiny eel. “I was excited and confused when I first saw it. I love walking on the beach to see what washes up, be it animals or shells. I thought it was super interesting because it didn’t look like a fish I had ever seen, it looked like one of those deep-sea creatures,” she added.
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According to the outlet, Monkeyface Prickleback eels, also commonly known as Monkeyface eels, are native to the Pacific coast of North America. They can be found in rocky reef habitats from Oregon to Baja California and Mexico. They are called monkey-faced eels because of their unusual appearance – live ones have a large lump on the top of their heads, which can look like a monkey’s nose.
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