I can whole heartedly admit, without embarrassment, that nearly stepping on this thing would make me squeal like a five year old. It’s uneven, sharp teeth – seriously in need of some good dental work. Pale skin and beady eyes piercing through you. He looks like Krang, from the Ninja Turtles. But it’s really just a Stargazer fish. And he’s buried just below the surface of the sand in Virginia Beach, waiting to eat your soul.
I didn’t take that description from the Stargazer’s wikipedia page, but I’m going to add it later today.
The East Coast Surfing Championships shared a few photos of the alien on their Facebook recently when Virginia Beach beachgoers casually came across one buried just beneath the surface of the sand. “Too cool,” they wrote, to which I say “nope.”
ECSC’s photos didn’t take long to go viral, landing the underwater death machine in the news.
The northern stargazer is mostly found in deep waters, where it buries itself under sand, waiting for unassuming prey to cruise by. It has “electric organs” on its head that it uses to shock and stun its dinner in what I assume looks a lot like a miniature underwater version of Tremors.
Wear your booties if you’re surfing anywhere near Virginia Beach these days. And don’t be afraid to let out a high pitched scream or two. I won’t judge you.
