Aplatophis chauliodus, the fangtooth snake-eel, also known as the tusky eel in Cuba and the United States,[1] is an eel in the family Ophichthidae.[2] It was described by James Erwin Böhlke in 1956.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and French Guiana. It is also known to occur on the northeastern coast of Brasil.[4] It dwells at a depth range of 33–91 m (100–300 ft), and dwells in both marine waters and brackish estuaries. It inhabits burrows on a permanent or semipermanent basis, and leaves its eyes and snout exposed. Males can reach a maximum total length of 84 cm (33 in).[2] The fangtooth snake-eel's diet consists of bony fish and crustaceans.[5]
| Aplatophis chauliodus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Aplatophis |
| Species: | A. chauliodus
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| Binomial name | |
| Aplatophis chauliodus Böhlke, 1956
| |
Texas sea monster
editThe Texas sea monster, also referred as fanged monster or fanged creature, was an animal carcass that washed ashore on a beach near Texas City, Texas in September 2017. The identity of the creature and the veracity of stories surrounding it have been the subject of controversy and speculation. The corpse was eventually decided by experts to be that of a giant-eel or snake-eel, probably A. chauliodus, although another species of snake-eel, Echiophis punctifer, was suggested by local fishermen. It was photographed and shared on Twitter by Preeti Desai, a science communicator with the Audubon Society. Netizens claimed it to be a "sea-monster".[6][7][8]
References
edit- ^ Common names for Aplatophis chauliodus at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b Aplatophis chauliodus at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Böhlke, James (3 October 1956). "Small Collection of New Eels from Western Puerto Rico". Notulae Naturae (289). Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia: 1–13. ISBN 978-1-60483-289-1.
- ^ Sampaio, Cláudio Luis Santos; Lopes, Paulo Roberto Duarte; Oliveira-Silva, Jailza Tavares de (2017-07-10). "First record of Aplatophis chauliodus (Actinopterygii: Ophichthidae) for the northeatern coast of Brazil, with expansion of its geographic range". Revista Brasileira de Zoociências. 18 (2). doi:10.34019/2596-3325.2017.v18.24670. ISSN 2596-3325.
- ^ Food items reported for Aplatophis chauliodus at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ "Fanged creature found on Texas beach after Hurricane Harvey". BBC News. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
- ^ GrrlScientist. "Scientists Identify Mysterious Fanged 'Sea Monster' Beached In Texas By Hurricane Harvey". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
- ^ "The fanged, faceless sea creature that washed ashore during Harvey has been identified". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
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