Lake Parramatta bite

[AdamJH]

My 8 year old son came out of Lake Parramatta's swimming enclosure screaming he'd been bitten by something last Sunday. He had needle-like scratches that drew blood and either side of this was long marks on the skin that faded after a half-hour.

It didn't swell and he's fine now, so it can't have been a snake. And the rocks there are covered in moss, not sharp.

We're just intrigued as to what it could have been. An Eel? Bass?

Any ideas?

[Scratchie]

My guess would be that he's scratched himself on a stick!

[Ryder]

Freshwater eels don't really have teeth, more like rough plates.

But they do bite.

I saw a kid get bitten on a golf course. He just picked his ball out of the edge of the water and the eel latched on. The bite mark had the same as you describe, a couple off tiny bleeding pin holes and a sort of light grazing that faded away.

[AdamJH]

My guess would be that he's scratched himself on a stick!

The lifeguards on duty said an adult male bolted out of the water earlier the same day, complaining something had 'bumped' him under the surface.

[AdamJH]

Freshwater eels don't really have teeth, more like rough plates.image.jpg

But they do bite.

I saw a kid get bitten on a golf course. He just picked his ball out of the edge of the water and the eel latched on. The bite mark had the same as you describe, a couple off tiny bleeding pin holes and a sort of light grazing that faded away.

Here's his foot

[nbdshroom]

Not a bass, most probably an eel. Also, They seem to strike out of aggression if things get within their own space/territory. There are also some large lizards which scoot across the surface in that lake which I think are water dragons but less likely since they would probably come to the surface in all that commotion.

[PRED-ATOR]

Glad your sons OK.

I'd say if it was going to be an animal, it would be an eel.

But to be safe, lets get Jeremy Wade out here to investigate.

[fragmeister]

That's a pretty decent bite!

I'm picking an eel also.