A mum has shared pictures of the mysterious sea creature she found washed up on a Cornwall beach.
Emily Scott, 23, was enjoying a stroll with her one-year-old baby Willow Harris on Par Beach when she spotted the bizarre creature on the sand on Wednesday (4 January).
Estimating the animal to be three feet in length, the mum was “confused” after stumbling upon it, saying it appeared to be without eyes.
“It was disguised in the sand at first I had no idea what it was at first,” Emily, a student, told NeedToKnow.online.
“I wasn’t frightened, but was confused as its head was to the side.
“It looked as if it had no eyes.
“It was strange to see, especially right at the back of the beach, right up past the grass.”
Emily reported the creature to Cornwall council, and the creature is believed to be a conger eel, the largest species of eel found in European waters, which can grow up to six feet in length.
According to British Sea Fishing, the eels are sometimes found around the western coast of the British Isles, and the predators feed on anything – including scavenging for dead or rotting fish.
The eels have a long, snake-like muscular body and scaleless skin.
Although Emily could not see the dead creature’s eyes, conger eels are known to have relatively large eyes, as well as a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
