Meet the “strange creatures” that once washed up on the beach

The ocean always contains strange marine creatures, surprising us with the richness of nature.

Over the centuries, the ocean is still considered a “world” that always hides many great secrets from humans.

A small part of that secret is only revealed when the bodies of creatures living at the bottom of the ocean drift ashore, making us go from one surprise to another.

Giant squid

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The giant squid ( Architeuthis dux ) is a creature that has inspired myths and fantasy films for centuries, but sightings are extremely rare.

These giant creatures are the largest invertebrates in the world, as well as having the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. They live in very deep waters and rarely drift to land.

But in October 2013, a strange giant squid washed up on a beach in Spain. The squid has tentacles 9 meters long and weighs 180 kg – equivalent to the weight of an adult brown bear.

In 2020, an even larger giant squid appeared in Britannia Bay, South Africa. Its body is still quite intact, with a body length of more than 4 meters and a weight of 330 kg.

Unidentified sea monster

In May 2018, residents of Oriental Mindoro province (Philippines) were extremely confused by the appearance of a giant, hairy “monster” on the beach.

Before experts could identify and clarify the identity of this object, indigenous people named the body of the 6m long sea monster ” Globster “.

Scientists later explained that this was actually just an unidentified organic mass, perhaps the remains of a whale, with hair-like fibers covering it that could be muscle fibers is decomposing.

Sharks have lost their internal organs

In May 2017, the beach in South Africa witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon, when the bodies of three great white sharks washed ashore.

The puzzling thing is that all of them lost their livers, and one fish no longer had a heart. Scientists quickly stepped in to find the cause of death.

Ultimately, they identified the likely culprit as a killer whale ( Orcinus orca ). This fish is known for its habit of attacking sharks, then eating their internal organs. In particular, liver is said to be the favorite food of killer whales because it contains a lot of fat and is rich in nutrients.

Anglerfish devil fish

In May 2021, a fisherman in California (USA) found the body of an Anglerfish, also known as an anglerfish, drifting ashore. This is surprising and rare, because this fish usually only lives in dark waters, about 900 – 1,000m deep.

According to sources, the fish is about 45cm long, has a round, flat body with many spines. Its tail fin and body are unlike other fish, as they are divided into many branches because they belong to the order Fins.

There are currently only 3 Anglerfish specimens stored in museums, out of about 3 million individuals living in the ocean.

“Sea Potatoes”

In August 2018, Penzance beach in England was suddenly covered with creatures the size of tennis balls, fondly called “heart urchins” or “sea potatoes” by scientists.

These hedgehogs are covered with short yellow-brown spines when they are alive. The strange thing is that they usually only live on the seabed in areas such as England, Ireland, and Japan.

Giant Oarfish

In June 2015, the beach on Catalina Island, California had a rare sight when a giant 4m long deep-sea Oarfish washed ashore. The creature’s ovaries are up to 2.1m long and weigh 11kg, showing that it is female.

This fish often stays away from human observation by hiding in deep water. So this unexpected appearance has created opportunities for scientists to study its internal biological structure.

“Penis fish”

In 2019, a beach in California received the appearance of thousands of sea worms with the common name “penis fish” ( Urechis caupo ). Each is about 25cm long, with an appearance suitable for digging/building nests on the ocean floor.

Biologists suspect a huge storm blew up, moving huge amounts of sand from the seabed and bringing these creatures to light for the first time.

Sharp-toothed stinging fish

In May 2014, a strange fish was discovered on the beach in the town of Nags Head, North Carolina (USA). This creature has a long body, large eyes, wide mouth with sharp teeth and looks quite similar to a swordfish.

According to researchers, this fish belongs to the stingless fish ( Alepisaurus ferox ), a nocturnal killer that is rarely found near the coast. A fisherman in the area said he had never seen this strange fish in more than 30 years.

Sharp-toothed stingray fish are commonly found in tropical and subtropical waters. A fish can grow about two meters in length. Their food is crustaceans, squid, small fish and even other stinging fish.

Unidentified “alien” creature

In July 2018, a 4.5m long sea monster drifted ashore in the state of Maine (USA). It was so decomposed that it was almost unrecognizable.

Given its enormous size, some believe it is the remains of a whale. However, experts are adamant that this is not a marine mammal; but the basking shark, the second largest shark on the planet.

In addition, there are also some theories that this is the body of an “alien” creature that accidentally drifted to the beach.