A genuine sea monster just appeared on an Australian beach and it will haunt your dreams

Australian Ethan Tipper summed it up perfectly when he posted the image above on Facebook with the caption: "This is at swansea boat ramp. What the fuck is it?"

Luckily for us, the Swansea he is referring to is in New South Wales, Australia, home of animals that want humans to die, rather than the Welsh city, home of the DVLA.

Many speculated as to what this truly horrifying sea monster could actually be - there's elements of crocodile, fish and snake in there - and what is going on with that dead eye?

Robert Tyndal, who took the photo, told the Newcastle Herald that the animal was about 1.4m long.

“I knew it was some kind of eel and it’s a big eel, but it definitely looks bigger,” said Mr Tyndall, who discovered the eel while fishing last weekend.

“I think everyone enjoys using their imagination. Judging by the comments, it was growing by the minute.”

Marine biologist Dr Julian Pepperell revealed that the animal was in fact a pike eel - in this case, quite an old one - and that we should be aware that, “there are certainly people who are bitten by them in boats. They have incredibly strong muscle and their teeth are geared towards inflicting slashing wounds.”

So there you have it. Australia: if you survive the spiders and the snakes, you'll be slashed to death by an eel.