Pike eel frightens Aussie beachgoers; sea creature has croc’s body but nose of a dolphin

Swansea beachgoers were puzzled and frightened when a strange-looking sea creature washed up in New South Wales. The animal has the body of the dreaded crocodile, but the nose of a dolphin. It has the skin of a fish or eel.

Ethan Tippa, a NSW resident, took a photo of the odd animal and posted the image, which has become viral on Facebook and other social media sites. Marine biologist Julian Pepperell provided the answer to Tippa’s question “What the f*** is it?” It is a pike eel, Pepperell says, reports Great Lakes Advocate.

The marine expert shares that the pike eel is common in NSW waters, but few locals are familiar with the fish. It is often caught by fishermen at night, and whey they reel their catch, the pike eel often gives a tough fight. Some of the fishermen who succeeded in hauling the creature in their boat were bitten, says Pepperell.

He explains that the pike eel has incredibly strong muscle and its teeth “are geared towards inflicting slashing wounds.” Pepperell believes the creature is old and possibly died after it got entangled in a net, hit by a vessel or of old age. A Department of Primary Industries spokesman shares the biologist’s opinion that it likely died from natural causes.

The washed up pike eel was actually discovered by Robert Tyndall, reports the Newcastle Herald. It was already dead when he saw it. The creature measured 1.4 metres, a little bit short than the maximum length of 1.8 metres.

“I knew it was some kind of eel and it’s a big eel, but it definitely looks bigger,” says Tyndall. Due to lack of familiarity with the pike eel, there were a lot of speculations what it was, including the possibility that Tyndall, who is not a techie, Photoshopped the image.

“I think everyone enjoys using their imagination. Judging by the comments, it was growing by the minute,” adds Tyndall.

The “discovery” of the odd-looking pike eel, whose meat is edible and is frequently sold in Southeast Asian markets, comes after a Wodonga breeder hatched last week a two-headed coastal carpet python.