Will Miles, a warehouse worker from Devon, stumbled upon a strange sight during a post-work stroll on a beach near Exmouth Marina.
A creature was described as a monstrous sandworm from the sci-fi epic "Dune".
This 'vampire' creature measures around 80cm (just under the height of a two-year-old!) and resembles a giant leech with a mouth full of sharp, inward-pointing teeth.
No wonder it earned the nickname "vampire fish" – it feeds by attaching itself to prey and sucking their blood.
Mr. Miles' photo, shared on a naturalist Facebook page, sparked a wave of reactions.
While some correctly identified the creature, others saw a resemblance to the colossal sandworms from "Dune" – even using the Fremen name "Shai-Hulud."
One person said: Lampreys. They were a popular food dish in the middle ages.
Second wrote: King Henry 1st died from eating a surfeit of lampreys.....very popular food source in the Middle Ages.
A third commented: Dune 2 is an incredible movie. I didn't have high expectations after the first one but was blown away by it so go see it if you already haven't and treat yourself.
Someone else said: Jesus ! you don't want to be swimming around in the shallows & that latching on to your knobbler.
It may not be a Dune sandworm, but you have to wonder what it`s Dune there anyway? Another
The sea lamprey also triggered a sense of unease for some commenters. Reactions ranged from "terrifying" and "fish of nightmares" to vows of never swimming in the sea again.
While once widespread in the UK, sea lampreys are now considered rare due to water quality issues and man-made barriers in their breeding rivers.
This unexpected encounter left Mr. Miles understandably surprised, having never seen one washed ashore before.
Previously, Craig Evans shared the striking photograph on his Instagram after discovering the multi-toothed creature during a fishing trip.
The creature in the picture has been described as a terrifying 'vampire' after being spotted in the water near the Welsh coastline.
Well, his creature is a Sea Lamprey, a species that dates back 340 million years and can grow up to two feet in length.
The terrifying 'vampire creature' was called a Sea Lamprey. It features a distinctly circular mouth with horrifying teeth designed solely for extracting the blood of its prey.
