Although these quirky creatures look positively out of this world, they are related to so-called Portuguese man o’ wars – hydrozoans, common in the Atlantic Ocean.
Visitors to Mustang Island State Park have been left scratching their heads – and their feet – after being stung by an alien-like creature that washed ashore at the beach there.
The whimsical sea inhabitant resembled a gelatinous eyeball with slimey tentacles. Beachgoers later shared photos of the creature with the park authorities, who were soon able to identify the marine animal.
The blob turned out to be a rhizophysa, which also goes by a very apt name “spaghetti monster” or “thread-jelly”. These little guys inhabit the Atlantic and are related to ship-resembling man o’ wars. However, they are fairly rare in the Texas area, so the beachgoers should consider themselves lucky to have seen this quirky hydrozoan.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
