There are many creatures that live in the ocean depths that man has never before seen, and last week it seemed like some New Yorkers might have reeled in one such animal. They were fishing in Coney Island when they caught a bizarre grey beast with what looks like a long tentacle, two small legs and a gaping mouth. TikTok user Nataliia Vorobok shared footage of the animal using hashtags like #whatisthat and #wtf. In the video, you can hear someone asking their mother what the creature is and the mom clearly having no idea as she screams, "What the hell is that!?"
While commenters were certain the creature was a Demogorgon from Stranger Things or an alien, there is actually a very simple explanation. UNILAD reached out to marine animal expert Marcus Williams at the Ocean Conservation Trust who explained that it is an "underdeveloped skate."
Amateur marine biologists online agree and went even further to say it is a clearnose skate, which has two wings and a tail that ends in two dorsal fins.
The National Aquarium says the clearnose skates are typically found off the East Coast, everywhere from Massachusetts to Florida.
No word on what happened with the one caught in Coney Island.
Photo: YouTube, Wikimedia Commons