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Misterious creatures washed up on Wellington beach in Lyall Bay, New Zealand

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Thousands of the tiny creatures were spotted washed up Thursday afternoon on beach in Lyall Bay in New Zealand. Puzzled expert are trying to identify misterious creatures with black eyes and little legs. They guess that it could be from deeper water as they were darker than what is normal for intertidal species. Auckland University associate professor Mark Costello said the creatures could be either Phronima or Hyperia amphipods.

Phronima lived inside salps – gelatinous animals that float in plankton – and fed on their innards while using the tube for their home. Hyperia live inside jellyfish. Both swam through the water using their back legs and despite their gruesome appearance were harmless to humans.

But Victoria University PhD student Lisa Bryant said it appeared to be a Themisto australis, which is the only species found in coastal mainland New Zealand. They formed in dense swarms and other strandings had been reported in places such as England and Canada. Themisto were some of the top predators in the plankton community.

Mr Costello said such a beaching was unusual and the creatures were probably washed ashore by the wind. Their eyes and legs were too large for sandhoppers. (Stuff)

Thousands of tiny translucent sea creatures remain unidentified after mysteriously washing up on a Wellington beach. A Niwa spokeswoman said the creatures were amphipod crustaceans but the exact species could not be identified until the scientist with knowledge in that area returned to work. There are some 7000 species of amphipod, including the familiar sandhopper. (NZHerald)

 

 

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3 Comments

  1. I’m suggesting that the ‘earth changes’ in effect i.e., global warming, continental ice shelfs disappearing, countless oceanic geo-thermal vents throughout the globe may be responsible for these creatures coming into being. Since the depths of the ocean and thermal vents have shown new sea life that is capable of withstanding extreme temps, we are at the cusp of involuntary discovery of new types of life. Though experts are able to somewhat classify the species based on their appearance, discovery through lab analysis will make for informed conclusion. It is known that undersea explorations of hidden fresh water lakes, beneath the sea floor (brackish, heavier than salt water bodies of water) exist, and we have little to no experience with what will come of it. Could there be long frozen life forms that existed eons ago that could re-animate? I prefer to be optimistic in the types of life forms that we may find…..but we can’t be sure about that, can we?

  2. Considering that New Zealand has suffered from numerous earthquakes recently, this might not be a good sign. Perhaps a sign of even bigger quake coming?

    1. could very well be from the oil spill recently – the ship that cracked recently, with 1,300 + containers on it … 2,000 tons of oil leaking …may have something to do with poisoning the waters…

      unfortunately, every week there is a significant spill somewhere …

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