A mysterious and bizarre looking sea creature which washed up on a popular Queensland beach has baffled the internet.
A Sunshine Coast woman came across the terrifying discovery in Noosa on Wednesday and turned to social media to solve the mystery.
‘Anyone know what kind of fish this is? I found it washed up on the North Shore this morning,’ she posted on a local community Facebook page.
Viewers were divided over whether the creature could be a flathead or the more poisonous stone fish.
Eyes bulged out of the top of the creature’s head, with a mouth full of unusually thin teeth.
Looks like he’s done himself a mischief,’ a man commented.
Another thought it could be a juvenile barramundi or bass, while others were highly fascinated with the creature’s terrifying set of teeth.
‘Someone wants their dentures back,’ one woman quipped.
Another added: ‘Can you ask who it’s dentist is? Has a lovely set of choppers on it.’
Others saw the funny side.
‘That’s my friend’s ex. She threw him back in the sea but he keeps on washing up,’ one woman posted.
Many viewers correctly guessed that the creature was a stargazer, also known as a monkfish in New Zealand.
Around 20 species of stargazers can be found Australian waters.
The venomous creatures are known for bury themselves in sand, waiting to ambush their prey.
Professor Culum Brown from Macquarie University’s Department of Biological Sciences believes the one pictured was a giant stargazer, which is more commonly found in waters across the Tasman.
‘It’s not the standard species that we get along the south-east coast,’ Professor Brown told Yahoo News Australia.
‘This looks more like the larger New Zealand species which is really common around the south island.
‘(It) wouldn’t be too unusual for them to show up on the east coast of Australia though.’
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