On a beach in Southern California, a terrifying marine creature washed ashore on the shoreline. The pictures of it that were uploaded to Reddit were deemed unsafe for use at work due to its horrifying appearance.
Together with the crisp images, the original poster’s information that they found the dead sea mammal close to Dana Point, California, made it easier to recognize the hideous creature.
A spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tim Daly, told SFGATE that he concurred with most of the Reddit comments that identified the swollen animal.
This one “looks a little bleached out from being dead,” but it’s probably a dead moray eel.
Since moray eels are known to live in shallow water amid reefs, it is not unusual to find them in the waters off the coast of Southern California.
It is advised to stay away from them even though they are neither venomous nor thought to be very aggressive. They will bite and grab on with their two rows of razor-sharp fangs if they feel threatened.
Responding to the initial post, redditors who assisted in identifying the eel were very happy.
It’s a moray. Return tonight to make sure. One reader commented, “If the moon strikes its eyes like a large pizza pie, that’s a Moray.”
Another person wrote, “A Moray is when the jaws open wide and there are more jaws inside.”
Another person said, “That’s a moray when the jaws open wide and there are more jaws inside.”
I’d hate to come into this critter in the ocean, but I don’t know about you!
