Weird Gross Australian Eel Thing Identified

He found it near the Swansea boat ramp south of Newcastle in New South Wales and he thought it measured about "1.4 metres".

This left people asking “What the f--- is it?”

The answer, experts soon confirmed, was that it was a pike eel.

They also said that the nocturnal pike eel is common but surprisingly little is known about it. 

“I knew it was some kind of eel and it’s a big eel, but it definitely looks bigger,” Mr Tyndall, who found the eel while fishing last weekend, said.

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

Marine biologist Julian Pepperell said the species is frequently caught by fishers at night who get “the fright of their lives” when they reel in a powerful, thrashing predator with a nasty bite.

“There are certainly people who are bitten by them in boats,” Dr Pepperell said.

“They have incredibly strong muscle and their teeth are geared towards inflicting slashing wounds.” 

The eel at Swansea was probably “relatively old”, Dr Pepperell said, and could have died from a net entanglement, been hit by a boat or died of old age. 

Pike eels are not poisonous to eat, and are frequently sold in the markets of Southeast Asia.

They have been known to hunt 100 metres beneath the ocean’s surface for fish and crustaceans, and are more common off NSW than anywhere else in Australia. 

Eeew. You can keep them Australia.

It's kind of like an eel swallowed a whole alligator... 

Source: Newcastle Herald