This eellike creature was caught in the Raritan River, somewhere in northern New Jersey.

Lampreys (sometimes also called lamprey eels) are an order of jawless fish-like vertebrates, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth, feeding parasitically on the blood of other fish.

Against this backdrop, the eerie looking ellike creature above is suggested(not ascertained) to be a giant sea Lamprey, caught mid February in the Raritan River, somewhere in northern New Jersey, USA.

Sea lampreys latch onto their prey, then secrete digestive fluids that slowly eat away and break down the host. They typically grow to 2.5 feet in length, but some sea Lampreys have been documented at sizes of up to 3 feet long.

Sea lampreys are a native to the Atlantic Ocean and are found along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and the coast of Europe, as well as in the Great Lakes, where it is considered an invasive species.