homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Strange 'Muriwai Monster' is a crustacean colony, New Zealand marine scientists say

Beaches -- the final frontier. For these guys at least.

Alexandru Micu
December 13, 2016 @ 3:22 pm

share Share

Muriway Beach, New Zealand locals have reported the strange sighting of a twitching, living mass that reminds me of Cthulhu’s beard. The so-called Muriwai Monster has people flocking to see how nature can still surprise us on a planet we like to think of as ours.

Muriwai Monster

Hello miss, do you have a moment to talk about out lord and savior Neptune, god of the deep?
Image credits Melissa Doubleday / Facebook.

The oceans around New Zealand are full of surprises lately, with blocks of seabed being pushed up by an earthquake last month on Kaikura beach and a strange sighting yesterday on Muriwai Beach — but this time, the story behind it is way less violent. On first sight, you could mistake it for a whale carcass. That’s actually what Melissa Doubleday thought when she first discovered the mass while driving by the beach.

Image credits Melissa Doubleday / Facebook.

Image credits Melissa Doubleday / Facebook.

The whole object, however, is covered in black tendrils which move and twitch in the Sun. Curious about what she found, Melissa snapped a few pictures and posted them to Facebook.

“[I] drove past and [was] like what the?” she said in the original post.

“I actually thought it was a washed up whale as I approached it, so weird,” she later told Stuff. “It looks like worms with shells I’ve never seen before with these funny creatures that just [come] out.”

Local Rani Timoti, who also visited the beach, told Stuff that the object definitely looked “alive”, like wiggling worms, and has a strong putrid smell when you’re downwind. Which, according to the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society, isn’t very surprising: the whole thing is basically one huge pile of seafood left out under the sun.

The object is likely a massive piece of driftwood colonized by Lepas anatifera, a species of gooseneck barnacles. These crustaceans live their whole life attached to submerged objects in huge numbers and feed by filtering the water around them through a series of feeding tentacles.

Anatifera‘s pedunculus (the muscular black tendrils) can grow up to 80 cm (31 inches) long. It’s the only sessile crustacean on Earth, meaning they’re related to shellfish but they live like an oyster — they produce a type of cement that binds them in place to a surface. If that surface ups and plants them on a beach in New Zealand where residents can pick and poke at them, they can’t do much about the situation.

Which just goes to show how dangerous a sedentary lifestyle can be.

share Share

16,000-Year-Old Dog-Like Skeleton Found in France Raises Haunting Questions

Cared for like a companion, or killed like prey?

Japanese Scientists Just Summoned Lightning with a Drone. Here’s Why

The drone is essentially a mobile, customizable, lightning rod.

Tiny Chinese Satellite Sent Hack-Proof Quantum Messages 12,900 Kilometers Through Space. Is a Quantum Internet Around the Corner?

The US and Europe are now racing to catch up to China.

Cats Came Bearing Gods: Religion and Trade Shaped the Rise of the Domestic Cat in Europe

Two groundbreaking studies challenge the old narrative that cats followed early farmers into Europe.

The People of Carthage Weren’t Who We Thought They Were

The Punic people had almost no genetic ties to Phoenicians, even though the latter founded the great city of Carthage.

RFK Jr loves raw milk. Now, he's suspending milk quality tests due to Trump cuts

Imagine pouring a glass of milk for your child and wondering if it’s safe.

A Roman gladiator died fighting a lion in England and his 1,800-year-old skeleton proves it

It's the first-ever evidence of man-lion combat found in the Roman period.

This Surprising Protein Shift Could Add Years to Your Life, Study Finds

A global study ties plant protein to longer adult lives, but early life needs differ.

Scientists Create a 'Power Bar' for Bees to Replace Pollen and Keep Colonies Alive Without Flowers

Researchers unveil a man-made “Power Bar” that could replace pollen for stressed honey bee colonies.

First-Ever Footage Captures a Living Colossal Squid—And It’s Just a Baby

A century after its discovery, the elusive giant finally reveals itself on camera.