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The freakish creature was spotted decaying on a US beach in Texas City, Texas, once the superstorm had cleared.

The monster – similar to something from horror movie It – can be seen in photos with its fangs and tail trailing across the sand.

Preeti Desai, from the National Audubon Society, found the monster lying on the empty beach.

(Image: PEN NEWS/PREETI DESAI)

(Image: PEN NEWS/PREETI DESAI)

She said: “We were on a beach in Texas City and saw this thing from afar, so I got closer to figure out what it was.

“I’ve already got a huge interest in wildlife, especially birds and ocean creatures, but it was so unexpected to see it there on the beach. On first glance it looked like something from the deep sea to me."

She added: “My initial thought was it might be a sea lamprey, but when I got close I realised there was no way that was what it was, particularly based on the mouth.

(Image: PEN NEWS/PREETI DESAI)

“We squished it around a bit, and even turned it over but couldn’t come up with any other ideas.”

But while no-one is certain what the beast actually was, Dr Kenneth Tighe of the world-renowned Smithsonian National Museum of National History thinks it may be a fang tooth snake-eel.

The creature –also known as a tusky eel – is native to the Gulf of Mexico and lurks beneath the surface where it feasts on bony fish and crustaceans.