'Monster' sea creature in New Jersey?

'Monster' sea creature in New Jersey?

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Sea lamprey (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service file photo) Sea lamprey (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service file photo)
MYFOXNY.COM -

Photos of a massive 'sea creature' that may be a sea lamprey have gone viral online.

A man identified as Doug Cutler of Manville, N.J. apparently shot the beast with his bow and arrow and fished it out of a body of water in New Jersey, according to postings on Reddit and Facebook.

The huge, eel-like creature had small jagged teeth.

Wildlife experts have said the animal resembles a very large sea lamprey. They are actually fish and are found in freshwater lakes in New York, such as the Finger Lakes, and New Jersey, but are considered pests in the Great Lakes.

The lamprey is parasitic; it uses a suction mouth to attach to a host fish and then bites into the fish to feed on the host's fluids, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.

The sea lamprey can grow up to three feet in length.

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