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Name That Critter

I don't know what the hell this is.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...re-washes-beach-California.html#ixzz4lnaT5tUC

Apparently washed up on a beach in California. I think it's a mollusc.

41FB9FF200000578-4660596-image-a-12_1499070321130.jpg
 
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Washed up on a Texas beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Hard to tell how big it is but looks a few feet long.

Dr Kenneth Tighe of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History thinks it could be a fangtooth snake-eel. Also known as the tusky eel, it's a species native to the Gulf of Mexico which lurks in the deep and devours bony fish and crustaceans.

According to Wiki, they grow to a maximum of 84cm or 33".

PAY-PNSEABEAST01nu.jpg
 
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Here's an additional photo from above, allowing a view of the creature's entire length.

TX-Eel-Thing.jpg
 
Dunno what it is, but as it has gills, I do know if I dangled it's most favored meal prepared exactly to it's preference, it' swim off.
 
How big do these things get?

According to Wikipedia, male fangtooth snake-eels can reach 84 cm (circa 33 inches) in length. Conger eels of various types can range up to 3 m in length. The American conger eel (a likely, though not sole, suspect in this case) is known to reach circa 2 m in length.
 
So all the times we've been swimming in the Gulf, these creatures were out there?
I'm not comfortable with this information at all. :eek:

I wouldn't worry about them [if it is indeed a fangtooth snake-eel] too much - they live at depth & feed on bony fish & crustaceans. I've never heard of anyone swimming on the surface being attacked or bitten by eels. Someone will be along shortly with an example..On the other hand if you were scuba diving & messing with them they might go for you.
 
I was hoping for something in terms of double decker buses but it just turns out to be some nightmare creature posing a threat to those of Action Man stature.

I would say it's a Mandela animal as I've never seen it mentioned before.
 
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