Mystery after alien-like creature washes up on beach
A bizarre alien-like creature has baffled curious sea lovers and even left the experts scratching their heads.
Environmental conservation organisation SCF Australia posted pictures of the sea creature on Facebook on Monday, after it was spotted by Damien Said just north of Hervey Bay in Queensland.
The strange creature was translucent in some parts but bright pink in others.
“Can anyone ID this?” SCF Australia asked.
Attached were three images of what some have compared to an alien.
After spotting the creature, Mr Said took a photo of his foot next to the jellyfish-looking slug to show people the sheer size of it.
“Why would you place your foot near it? It might sting you,” one person commented.
“It’s a Mongolian deep sea racing prawn,” another joked.
“Someone in Mike Tyson’s fishing spot. Bit off his ear by the looks of it,” a third added.
A few people took turns trying to identify the subject, but were still unsure.
“Could be some kind of a nudibranch,” one person suggested.
According to National Geographic, it’s a nudibranch, a bottom-dwelling, jelly-bodied member of the sea slug family.
But with more than 2,000 species of nudibranch recorded and new ones being identified almost daily, it’s hard to confirm which species it could actually be.
The experts at The Australian Museum were excited to find a nudibranch has made its way to QLD and identified it as a “Melibe japonica”.
“Interestingly, another one was also photographed in Bermagui, NSW as a beach wash up three days ago.
“Thats two in a short period and then nothing for years, sometimes decades with these animals!” Matt Nimbs, research scientist from the School of Environment Science and Engineering, told Yahoo News Australia.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
