This big, long creature recently washed up on an Australian coast at the Sawnsea boat ramp. Although it looks like it could be the Loch-Ness Monster, or some kind of mutated beast combining all sorts of aquatic animals into one, it turns out it’s actually just a massive pike eel.
The photograph of the animal originally taken by fisherman Robert Tyndall and was shared online by Facebook user Ethan Tippa. The image has gone viral with shares and likes since the image was posted.
“I knew it was some kind of eel and it’s a big eel, but it definitely looks bigger,” Mr Tyndall said. “I think everyone enjoys using their imagination. Judging by the comments, it was growing by the minute.”
Dr. Julian Pepperell, a marine biologist, was the first official to point out and verify that the creature was a pike eel after it went viral on the Internet, “I think it's definitely a pike eel. The head is very indicative of that species.”
Pike eels are not exactly friendly creatures, and have been known to attack people as they float around in boats fishing. They’re incredibly strong creatures with powerful muscles that they use to thrash around when caught, and they have a nasty bite that stems from their razor-sharp teeth that are designed to pierce and slash.
A typical pike eel only grows to be about 1.8 meters at the longest, but the camera angle of this particular one that washed up dead on the beach is making it look a lot larger than it really is.
It’s believed that this particular pike eel has died of natural causes, based on how large it is, but Dr. Pepperell also believes it’s also possible that it died from being hit by a boat or from a net entanglement.
Source: The Herald
