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A frightful sea creature disturbed beachgoers after washing up on shore on a Southern California beach, the Daily Mail reported.

The sea life appears to be a moray eel, but one that specifically 'looks a little bleached out from being dead,' Tim Daly of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told SFGATE.

Moray eels are common to Southern California and are known to live in shallow water filled with reefs to hide in, according to Britannica.

The ocean specimen was found in Dana Point on Saturday, leading to an image to be posted online and sparking thousands of comments.

The long creature was seen tangled in seaweed, laying along the sand as its razor sharp teeth showed through its open mouth. 

One Reddit user who viewed the image was so alarmed by the picture they claimed the fish would give them 'nightmares'.

Someone else wrote: 'Horrifyingly goofy thing wtf.'

'I hate it,' another said.

'Those things are so alien looking. But as others have already said, def not an alien but rather an eel,' a fourth added.

While some never saw the marine creature before, one viewer said they were more common than some might think.

'They are plentiful; you'd be surprised,' someone said on Facebook.

Another Reddit user said: 'When this thing's on the beach Stay out of its reach - That's a moray....'

Compared to typical eels, this species has tiny and round gills and typically lack pectoral fins, which help fish make changes in their side-to-side direction.

The species can also be found in coral reefs from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County to southern Baja California in Mexico, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The eels are also known for having a deep-rooted history, as it is believed they were once consumed by ancient Romans, SFGATE reported.