Trawlers off the coast of Cabo Verde hauled in the “spoon”-nosed sea animal but didn’t realize how unique it was at first.

Tamil short-tail conger eels have “stout” bodies reaching up to 12 inches in length, the study said. Their heads are “short” with “bright” eyes, a “long” tongue and “small” teeth.

Its “pointed” head has a “short, blunt” snout, “relatively large” eyes and some ... Overall, the eel is dark brownish gray with some white spots on its head, researchers said.