Mysterious Eyeless Creature Washes Up On Texas Beach After Hurricane Harvey, And It’s Terrifying
Hurricane Harvey has displaced not only humans, but sea creatures as well. When Preeti Desai of the National Audubon Society went to assess its damage, she found a decaying fish on a beach in Texas City. The creature, however, was so bizarre she couldn’t identify it.
The seemingly eyeless dead animal had its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and a large cylinder-shaped body. “It was completely unexpected, it’s not something that you’d typically see on a beach,” Desai told BBC. “My main reaction was curiosity, to figure out what the heck it was.”
Desai posted pictures of the mysterious sea monster on Twitter and asked for help. “I follow a lot of scientists and researchers. There’s such a great community of these folks that are very helpful, especially when it comes to answering questions about the world or identifying animals and plants.”
Eventually, biologist Dr. Kenneth Tighe responded that Desai’s find probably is a fangtooth snake-eel, but it could also be a garden or conger eel, because “all three of these species occur off Texas and have large fang-like teeth.” The fangtooth snake-eel (also known as a “tusky” eel) is usually found in waters between 30 and 90 metres (98 and 295 feet) deep in the western Atlantic ocean, so it’s definitely not what you’d meet paddling on the surface.
More info: Twitter (h/t dailymail)
Preeti Desai was walking on a beach in Texas City when she encountered this bizarre creature
It must’ve washed up after Hurricane Harvey from the depths of the ocean
The seemingly eyeless dead animal had its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and a large cylinder-shaped body
“It was completely unexpected, it’s not something that you’d typically see on a beach”
Preeti captured the whole thing and went to Twitter, hoping to find out what it was
People had different opinions about the creature
Some were even genuinely scared
Others made jokes to lighten up the situation
But finally, the “monster” was identified
289Kviews
Share on FacebookNah, oarfish don't look anything like that, even when bloated and dead. It has no identifiable features of an oar fish. I think tusky eel fits more.
Load More Replies...Eyeless ?!! Is it something found very deep that eyes will be useless or something else all together ? Jesus, the size of this guy is horrifying.
It would give the story more gravitas if the dimensions of this so called monster accompanied the picture. Just musing out loud.
Nope, I quite agree with you. Besides, the photographer acknowledged that to her, "it was not a monster". The first picture makes it look as big as an orca, but I doubt it exceeds 3 feet.
Load More Replies...One of the reasons why I love the ocean is because so much of it is unknown and mysterious. Creatures like these pop up seemingly out of nowhere. Granted, this species was already known, but if these exist, think about what other things could be lying at the bottom!!!
Plenty we do not know about yet. The deepest place at sea is the Mariannes Trench in the Pacific Ocean, at about 9.000 m. Granted, down there, it's not exactly crowded, but even around 2 to 4.000 m, new species are regularly discovered e.g. around the hydrothermal vents.
Load More Replies...Do you mean a Graboid? Lol The movies are called Tremors. The monsters in said movie (well, the ones you're referring to) are called Graboids. :)
Load More Replies...That's exactly why I'm scared of the ocean. There's so much we don't know about it just like the outer space...
I've lived most of my life within five miles of the ocean. There are some strange animals out there but so none of them have got me!! I'm still here and still doing fine
There are some strange animals in the ocean. I've lived most of my life within about five miles of the ocean and so far nine of them have got me!! I'm still here and still doing fine
I've lived within five miles of an ocean most of my life. There are some strange animals in the ocean but so far none of them have got me ... I'm still here and still doing fine!!
It's definitely not an oarfish. Oarfish have no teeth and feed on plancton. It's not eyeless either: eels have eyes very close to their snout (so if you're looking for big lateral eyes, you're not looking at the right place) and have likely dried up due to decomposition. I would have said a moray eel, but this has been excluded by some more knowledgeable people than me. Of course, it would have helped identification if the photographer had thought to give an approximate idea of its size, or put something next to the fish to give it a sense of scale. These pictures, you can't say if the fish measures 3 feet or 3 yards. This being said, I am appalled by the obtuseness and ignorance evidenced in some of the comments. True, what we know about oceanic life is about 0,5% - basically, what's close to the surface or is brought up from the depths by storms and hurricanes. A huge amount of life is yet to be discovered. I find this absolutely thrilling, not scary.
I don't know why you're being down voted. I too don't think this is an oar fish. It has no identifiable features of one.
Load More Replies...The problem I see with determining what this is ... no eyes . Some eel species have sharp teeth, but, couldn't find a no eye one , even the Gobie has them somewhat hidden & doesn't look like this brute. Eyeless species usually means deep & without light so they don't need sight.
I think bloating and decay has something to do with making it appear like it doesn't have eyes.
Load More Replies...I, for one, do not question Mother Nature. I don't like the ocean. I think it is nasty and there is no telling what is in there. (ex.-the hideous creature shown). there is urine n pop from the things that live in the ocean, plus, where do u think the fishermen go when they have an urge to go? ill stick to pools. we do know they have a disinfection in there and we are less likely to swallow that. just saying..
Our oceans play an extremely important part in our environment. Without our oceans, we would not exist. The only reasons our oceans are "nasty" are because of humans pumping more and more pollutions into them. They are not "nasty" because of the creatures that live in them. Creatures that have more right being on this planet than us humans do. Creatures that have been here longer than we have been. You sound extremely young and frankly, you're being ridiculous. If you think oceans are gross, just don't go in them, it's really that damn simple. The oceans would better off without you going in them, honestly. All in all, grow up and pick up a damn book. Educate yourself. I truly hope you are just a young child and not an adult.
Load More Replies...Nah, oarfish don't look anything like that, even when bloated and dead. It has no identifiable features of an oar fish. I think tusky eel fits more.
Load More Replies...Eyeless ?!! Is it something found very deep that eyes will be useless or something else all together ? Jesus, the size of this guy is horrifying.
It would give the story more gravitas if the dimensions of this so called monster accompanied the picture. Just musing out loud.
Nope, I quite agree with you. Besides, the photographer acknowledged that to her, "it was not a monster". The first picture makes it look as big as an orca, but I doubt it exceeds 3 feet.
Load More Replies...One of the reasons why I love the ocean is because so much of it is unknown and mysterious. Creatures like these pop up seemingly out of nowhere. Granted, this species was already known, but if these exist, think about what other things could be lying at the bottom!!!
Plenty we do not know about yet. The deepest place at sea is the Mariannes Trench in the Pacific Ocean, at about 9.000 m. Granted, down there, it's not exactly crowded, but even around 2 to 4.000 m, new species are regularly discovered e.g. around the hydrothermal vents.
Load More Replies...Do you mean a Graboid? Lol The movies are called Tremors. The monsters in said movie (well, the ones you're referring to) are called Graboids. :)
Load More Replies...That's exactly why I'm scared of the ocean. There's so much we don't know about it just like the outer space...
I've lived most of my life within five miles of the ocean. There are some strange animals out there but so none of them have got me!! I'm still here and still doing fine
There are some strange animals in the ocean. I've lived most of my life within about five miles of the ocean and so far nine of them have got me!! I'm still here and still doing fine
I've lived within five miles of an ocean most of my life. There are some strange animals in the ocean but so far none of them have got me ... I'm still here and still doing fine!!
It's definitely not an oarfish. Oarfish have no teeth and feed on plancton. It's not eyeless either: eels have eyes very close to their snout (so if you're looking for big lateral eyes, you're not looking at the right place) and have likely dried up due to decomposition. I would have said a moray eel, but this has been excluded by some more knowledgeable people than me. Of course, it would have helped identification if the photographer had thought to give an approximate idea of its size, or put something next to the fish to give it a sense of scale. These pictures, you can't say if the fish measures 3 feet or 3 yards. This being said, I am appalled by the obtuseness and ignorance evidenced in some of the comments. True, what we know about oceanic life is about 0,5% - basically, what's close to the surface or is brought up from the depths by storms and hurricanes. A huge amount of life is yet to be discovered. I find this absolutely thrilling, not scary.
I don't know why you're being down voted. I too don't think this is an oar fish. It has no identifiable features of one.
Load More Replies...The problem I see with determining what this is ... no eyes . Some eel species have sharp teeth, but, couldn't find a no eye one , even the Gobie has them somewhat hidden & doesn't look like this brute. Eyeless species usually means deep & without light so they don't need sight.
I think bloating and decay has something to do with making it appear like it doesn't have eyes.
Load More Replies...I, for one, do not question Mother Nature. I don't like the ocean. I think it is nasty and there is no telling what is in there. (ex.-the hideous creature shown). there is urine n pop from the things that live in the ocean, plus, where do u think the fishermen go when they have an urge to go? ill stick to pools. we do know they have a disinfection in there and we are less likely to swallow that. just saying..
Our oceans play an extremely important part in our environment. Without our oceans, we would not exist. The only reasons our oceans are "nasty" are because of humans pumping more and more pollutions into them. They are not "nasty" because of the creatures that live in them. Creatures that have more right being on this planet than us humans do. Creatures that have been here longer than we have been. You sound extremely young and frankly, you're being ridiculous. If you think oceans are gross, just don't go in them, it's really that damn simple. The oceans would better off without you going in them, honestly. All in all, grow up and pick up a damn book. Educate yourself. I truly hope you are just a young child and not an adult.
Load More Replies...
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