Gina Heslop
A strange and scary sea creature washed up on a beach in Southern California recently, leaving beachgoers in shock.
It looked so frightening that pictures of the animal, posted on the social media platform Reddit, were labeled “not safe for work,” meaning it wasn’t something everyone would want to see due to how disturbing it looked.
The person who posted the photos found the dead animal near Dana Point, a coastal area in Southern California. The clear photos and the location helped others online to figure out what this mysterious creature was.
Many people on Reddit guessed that it was a type of eel, and they were right. Tim Daly, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, agreed with most of the comments. He said the creature was probably a dead moray eel, a species that is commonly found in the waters near Southern California.
Moray eels are known to live in reefs and shallow waters along the coast. They can grow quite large, and while they are not poisonous or considered very aggressive, it’s still best to avoid them if you see one.
If a moray eel feels threatened, it can bite with its two rows of sharp, razor-like teeth. Once they latch onto something with those teeth, they are hard to shake off. However, they generally don’t attack unless they feel in danger.
The moray eel found on the beach seemed to have been dead for some time, and its body appeared pale or “bleached,” which can happen when sea animals die and spend time exposed to the sun or sea water.
Despite its creepy appearance, the discovery of the dead eel sparked a lot of conversation and jokes online. Many people on Reddit enjoyed identifying the creature and commenting on the bizarre and unexpected nature of the find.
While moray eels are a natural part of the ocean’s ecosystem, finding one washed up on the beach like this, especially in such a disturbing condition, is rare enough to get people talking.
