The East Coast Surfing Championships wrote on their Facebook page last week that one of the company's friends came across a northern stargazer fish while walking, according to the Associated Press. 

Ashley Raper Starr of Virginia Beach said in an interview that she was taking a beach walk with her husband's family, who were visiting from Maryland when they came upon the strange sea creature.

"My niece, Cara Hotaling, saw the fish first buried under the sand," said Starr. "We were all curious as to what that could be making bubbles in the sand. We were making guesses as we waited for the water to run back over it and reveal the critter's face."

Starr said the unveiling of the creature's creepy face surprised and interested them all. 

"I have never seen one on the beach and I grew up here in the VB area and have spent much time on the beach," said Starr. 

Described as a strange-looking fish with a speckled, flattened body and a huge head, the stargazer does not pose any serious threat to humans; however, their electric spines make them a formidable predator.

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According to the Chesapeake Bay Program's website, stargazers tend to live at the bottom of deep, open waters. With an appetite for small fish, crabs, and other crustaceans, they hunt by burying in the sand with their eyes and mouth sticking out just enough to search for and ambush their prey. Once its targeted morsel is within reach, it uses its large mouth to create a vacuum to suck in its prey.

With that in mind, you might want to keep an eye on your toes if you're in the Virginia Beach area in the coming days.

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