Bizarre ‘alien-like’ sea creatures wash up on Brit beach and could be worth thousands
BIZARRE ‘alien-like’ sea creatures have washed up on a British beach – and they could be worth a fortune. Martyn Green was on holiday with his family when they spotted the creepy sea creatures on the shores of Caernarfon in North Wales. At first, he thought it was just a large piece of driftwood that […]
BIZARRE ‘alien-like’ sea creatures have washed up on a British beach – and they could be worth a fortune.
Martyn Green was on holiday with his family when they spotted the creepy sea creatures on the shores of Caernarfon in North Wales.
At first, he thought it was just a large piece of driftwood that had made its way onto the shore.
But on closer inspection, he realised there were thousands of tentacled sea creatures attached to the piece of wood.
The eerie creatures are Gooseneck Barnacles – which are crustaceans that are related to crabs and lobsters.
In the footage, they can be seen poking in and out of their chalky white shells.
Despite their otherworldly looks, the sea creatures are considered a delicacy in Portugal and Spain, where they’re known as percebes and can be sold for “as much as £25 a go.”
Martyn Green, from New Brighton, Merseyside, said that the alien-like creatures looked like something from out of this world.
WHAT ARE GOOSENECK BARNACLES?
- Gooseneck Barnacles, also known as stalked barnacles, are crustaceans that are related to crabs and lobsters.
- They live on hard surfaces, like rocks in the seashore level of the ocean.
- The barnacles are often found on driftwood and attached to the front sections of boats.
- In the Medieval Ages, it was thought that the sea creatures were, in fact, goose eggs – and would hatch into the animal – hence why they are named ‘Gooseneck Barnacle.’
- Their shell length can reach up to 5cm, and the length of their stalks can be half a metre long.
- Gooseneck Barnacles are present all year long in the world’s waters.
- The barnacles are widely consumed in Portugal and Spain and are known as an expensive delicacy known as percebes.
- They are harvested commercially in the north of Portugal and Spain.
- In Spain, percebes are lightly boiled in brine and served whole.
- The price of a plate of Gooseneck Barnacles can be up to 100 euros.
- Their unmistakeable barnacles and chalky white shells often get washed up on west and southwest coasts of the UK – especially after storms.
After the 47-year-old’s son Daniel did a quick online search, they realised what they were looking at were Gooseneck Barnacles.
Martyn said: “It turns out they are one of the most expensive sea creatures you can buy.
“From looking on Google I think it’s about £25 each they go for, and on the log there were probably about 2,000 of them.”
If the estimations are correct, that means the bizarre log full of the barnacled creatures would wrack up a staggering £50,000.
Mr Green posted pictures of the barnacles and their shells to Facebook, which his friends described as “mesmerising”.
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One person said that the find was “fantastic” while another described the unusual sea creatures as looking “like bloody aliens”.
According to Frankie Hobro, the director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, the Gooseneck Barnacles aren’t rare in themselves, but they are rarely seen in large numbers on the North Wales coastline.
