Baffled Australians are trying to understand what these strange “aliens” with “slimy” exteriors are releasing onto beaches.
Beachgoers have been left searching for answers after a group of mysterious ‘slime’-like sea creatures washed up on beaches.
The bizarre creature which is covered in a series of yellow spots has led many to suggest it looks like an “alien”.
A person who found the blob-like marine animal on a beach in Semaphore, about 21 kilometers from Adelaide, posted a photo of the animal on Reddit in the hope of identifying it.
Australians are perplexed by a mysterious creature that has washed up on the shores of several beaches.
“Found at Semaphore today, can someone please identify?
In the photo, the gelatinous figure appears folded in on itself, with a slimy, shiny exterior.
One user, a marine ecologist, said this particular creature was “a type of ascidian” often found in coastal areas.
“Each of these little yellow dots is an individual animal called a zooid, which is all genetically identical in the colony,” the user wrote.
The creature is a mix between a vertebrate and an invertebrate, the expert explained.
“So, although they are marine invertebrates, they are placed in the phylum “Chordata” and constitute an evolutionary boundary between invertebrates and vertebrates,” explained the marine ecologist.
“They are, in evolutionary terms, your very distant and strange cousins that no one wanted at Christmas lunch.”
This “slimy” creature is known as an ascidian and is often found in coastal areas.
The creature has a slimy, “meaty” feel, but it is not as “squishy” as the jellyfish.
Users were quick to comment on the post, with one saying the creature had features resembling an unusual being.
“Alien placenta,” the user said.
“I totally thought it was a curled up snake,” another wrote.
“There must be a connection between this specimen and the dangerous noodle, perhaps more than we understand.”
These bizarre creatures are a mix of invertebrates and vertebrates, with the spots on the outside of the body made up of individual animals called zooids.
According to the Australian Museum, the creature’s scientific name is Botrylloides leachii.
This is a species that belongs to a group called the phylum Chordata, which includes animals such as fish, reptiles and birds.
Dark ascidians, which are the most common forms of the species, are found in coastal waters, to a depth of 25 meters, as well as on seaweed and in shallow water.
According to the marine ecologist who commented on the post on Reddit, ascidians are not harmful to humans.
These creatures, which belong to a group of species including fish, reptiles and birds, are not harmful to humans.
