Watch your step if you’re planning on walking along the ocean shore, you never know what may be looking up, ready to attack.
That’s what East Coast Surfing Champions want people to know after a friend of theirs, Ashley Raper Starr, nearly stepped on a peculiar fish, known as the stargazer.
Starr, a Virginia Beach resident, came across the scary looking creature while on a walk with her husband’s family.
“My niece, Cara Hotaling, saw the fish first buried under the sand,” Starr told the Weather Channel. “We were all curious as to what that could be making bubbles in the sand. We were making guesses as we waited for the water to run back over it and reveal the critter’s face.”
The family was surprised and intrigued when they finally saw the creatures face. Seeing that face peering up from under the sand is enough to startle anyone.
“I have never seen one on the beach and I grew up here in the VB area and have spent much time on the beach,” she said.
It’s pretty surprising that one was found right along the shore, as their natural habitat is at the bottom of deep open waters, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program.
The site also goes onto describe its appearance:
The northern stargazer has a blackish-brown body with white spots that gradually get bigger from its head to its tail. It’s flattened body can grow to 22 inches in length, but it averages 8 to 18 inches in length. Its mouth and eyes are located on the top of its large head, facing upward. Three dark, horizontal lines appear on its tail.
Fortunately, despite its unnerving look, the northern stargazer poses no serious threat to humans. They are, however, a formidable predator that uses ambush tactics and electric spines to take down prey; which consists of small fish, crabs and other crustaceans.
