These “critters” appeared in the Huntington Beach area on Nov. 28, 2016. (Credit: Don Coursey)
A number of photos showing mysterious jelly-like creatures that have recently washed up in Huntington Beach has prompted rampant speculation on social media.
One Facebook user, Ryan Rustan, wrote that he was walking on the shoreline Monday night when he felt “little water balloons popping under my feet, super squishy.”
He said looked down and was unsure what exactly he had stepped on.
These “critters” appeared in the Huntington Beach area on Nov. 28, 2016. (Credit: Don Coursey)
“Couldn’t tell if they were jellyfish or eggs but there are thousands up and down the beach,” Rustan wrote on Facebook, sharing the post to a group called Huntington Beach Community Forum.
Dan Coursey, who also posted pictures of the jelly-like pods to the same Facebook group, wrote that the creatures burrowed in the sand.
Both post prompted a number of comments about what the mysterious creature, with guesses ranging from baby jellyfish to burrowing sea cucumbers. A number of commenters believe they are salps, which are a type of invertebrate marine animal.
Some simply called them “creepy sea creatures,” while others speculated it was alien life.
Christopher G. Lowe, a marine biology professor at Cal State Long Beach who is the director of the university’s shark lab, told KTLA that the the school’s resident invertebrate expert says they are sea cucumbers.
This creature appeared in the Huntington Beach area on Nov. 28, 2016. (Credit: Don Coursey)
Huntington Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis, who has worked for the lifeguard department for nearly 40 years, told the Orange County Register he was unsure what the jelly creatures were; however, he said it was possible they were a lingering effect of last winter’s El Niño
“There’s all kinds of weird things happening,” Panis told the newspaper, noting that was not the only unusual occurrence in the Huntington Beach area. He added there has been a number of stingray sightings uncommonly close to shore that has also left lifeguards scratching their heads.
“It’s just strange,” he said.
KTLA’s Jennifer Thang contributed to this story.
These “critters” appeared in the Huntington Beach area on Nov. 28, 2016. (Credit: Don Coursey)
from KTLA http://ift.tt/2fzVuJ9
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