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A mystery sea creature that washed ashore in Texas during Hurricane Harvey has been identified thanks to a biologist and a viral tweet.
After Harvey, National Audubon Society social media manager Preeti Desai posted a tweet asking for help identifying a elongated, fanged sea creature whose body appeared on a beach in Texas City. People suggested that she contact Museum of Natural History biologist and eel expert Kenneth Tighe, who determined the specimen was likely a fangtooth snake-eel (Aplatophis chauliodus).
"It was completely unexpected, it's not something that you'd typically see on a beach. I thought it could be something from the deep sea that might have washed on to shore," Desai told the BBC. "My main reaction was curiosity, to figure out what the heck it was."
Okay, biology twitter, what the heck is this?? Found on a beach in Texas City, TX. #wildlifeid pic.twitter.com/9IUuuL65qh
- Preeti Desai�� (@preetalina) September 6, 2017
The fangtooth snake-eel is typically less than three feet long, and spends its time burrowing at depths 100 to 300 feet under the sea, the Guardian reports.
Still, some people got carried away over Desai's photos of the sea "monster"—so she clarified on Twitter that the animal wasn't particularly terrifying or big.
Hey guys, so this thing wasn't frightening, wasn't colossal, and wasn't a monster. It was just a damn sea creature trying to live its life. https://t.co/r3AeFYzLjJ
- Preeti Desai�� (@preetalina) September 13, 2017
