Imagine walking along the coastline and coming face-to-face with a sea creature from your nightmares. It’s not a scenario from a horror flick but actually happened recently on a Southern California beach. The images of the horrifying looking creature were so eerie that when they were posted to Reddit, they had to be flagged as not safe for work.
The finding was reported by a Reddit user who discovered the carcass near Dana Point in California. Clear images and this location data were instrumental in identifying the gruesome marine find.
Tim Daly, a spokesperson from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, chimed in on the Reddit post and agreed with the majority consensus regarding the identity of the bloated creature. He believed it to be a dead moray eel that seemed whitish, probably due to postmortem discoloration.
Finding moray eels near the Southern California coast is not unusual. These sea creatures inhabit the reefs in shallow waters. Moray eels are not venomous, neither are they exceptionally ferocious. However, crossing their path is not a good idea, as a threatened eel uses its two sets of razor-sharp teeth to bite and latch onto an opponent.
More than a horrifying find, this story generated a sense of mirth among some Redditors who helped identify the creature. Some were quick to respond to the post with entertaining comments.
One user quipped, “That’s a moray. Go back tonight to confirm. If the moon hits its eyes like a big pizza pie that’s a Moray.” Another joined in and added, “When the jaws open wide, and there’s more jaws inside, that’s a Moray.” There seemed to be a running theme in the comments, as another echoed with, “When the jaws open wide and there’s more jaws inside, that’s a Moray.”
While these comments brought a fun element to the otherwise creepy find, encountering this wrinkle-skinned, sharp-toothed creature in the ocean wouldn’t be a delightful experience.
