Social media users were shocked over an “alien” creature that washed ashore in Australia with some labeling it the “freakiest thing” they’d ever seen.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this before!” wrote the sea denizen’s discoverer Vicki Evans in a post with a photo on a community Facebook page. “Nature never ceases to amaze!”
The beachcomber happened across the freaky flotsam while walking along Horseshoe Bay in Port Elliott, South Australia, The Advertiser reported.
Evans included photos of the oceanic oddity, which is long and riddled with gelatinous tendrils that are tipped with shells, like maritime hair-braid beads.
Many Facebook users were equally baffled by the vermicelli-esque tentacles, with one writing, “That might just be the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen!!”
“Wow, it looks long judging by scale of dog,” one said, referring to a curious pooch seen inspecting the creature in the photo…
As it turns out, the “aliens” were actually goose barnacles, a species of communal crustacean that attaches itself to floating objects, on wharves and piers, or even washed up on the shore, as was the case with the colony in question.
Interesting. They are not that weird. In the north of Spain they are considered a delicacy, and a somewhat typical meal for Christmas. They’re absolutely delicious. 😋
Thanks for posting this since OP didn’t in his summary.
