'Spaghetti monsters' that look like eyeballs are showing up on Texas beaches
As spring breakers flock to southern beaches, all kinds of sea creatures have been washing ashore, including eyeball-like ‘spaghetti monsters’ that look like something out of a horror movie.
These creatures, whose actual name is Rhizophysa, are actually a conglomerate of animals that live together.
As spring breakers flock to Texas beaches, all kinds of sea creatures have been washing ashore. From these adorable, Pokemon-like 'blue dragons' with a serious sting to so-called 'spaghetti monsters,' Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies is spotting them all and warning beach-goers of the dangers.
The latest beach sighting, called the 'spaghetti monster' by researchers, is also called thread jellies and has the scientific name of Rhizophysa. It is related to the blue bottle jellyfish, more commonly known as the "man o' war."
The spaghetti monster is actually a community of animals that live together, making it look like one animal. The gas-filled float at the top looks like an eyeball at first glance, with long tentacles below that it uses to feed on plankton in the water.
Jace Tunnel, Director of Community Engagement at Harte is an advocate for the education and awareness of coastal conservation. He posted photos of the spaghetti monsters on Facebook to warn people to look but not touch.
"They do sting just like their cousins, the man o’ war. If you see these floating up on the beach, just admire their creepy beauty, take photos, but don’t touch, unless you want to feel the pain of the eyeball from the sea."
If stung by one, Tunnell recommends applying vinegar and warm water to relieve the pain. He managed to get several close-up photos of the sea creatures that look exactly like eyeballs, optic nerve included.
Tunnell said there have recently been several reports of the creepy creatures around Mustang Island, located near Corpus Christi, Texas. It's rare to spot them on the Gulf Coast as they are native to the tropical Atlantic and Indian oceans, but strong southeast winds can push the thread jellyfish up into the gulf in spring.
“Certain times of the year these jellyfish and stuff fluctuate coming in, and we randomly find interesting things coming, and this one, in particular, kind of threw me off ... it's an interesting find for sure," Tunnell said.
Just be sure and watch your step!
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