Mystery as strange sea creature washes up on popular beach – do you know what it is?

AN EERIE-LOOKING critter with glowing spikes and black bristles has been spotted on a UK beach, leaving locals “stunned”.

The alien-like animal was spotted on a rock by a couple out for a walk with their dog in Suffolk.

SWNS

The strange creature – all 15cm of it – was found on Pakefield beach, near Lowestoft, at the weekend.

It was later identified as a Sea Mouse, which tend to live on the sea floor, but are often washed up on the coast due to bad weather.

This is the third time in the past 12 months a Sea Mouse has bemused locals after being discovered on a UK beach.

One of the creatures was seen by a conservation group as it wriggled slowly along the shore in Sussex in November 2024.

Two of the little blighters were also spotted during the summer this year in Wales.

‘Another planet’

In the latest incident in Suffolk, the dog walker who made the discovery said it “looked like something from another planet”.

The Sea Mouse’s vibrant bristles can glimmer blue, green, and gold, making it look like something straight out of a sci-fi film.

They can grow up to 30cm and while they are common on UK coasts they’re rarely seen in person, often laying buried head-first in the sand.

As creepy as they look, the spiky Sea Mouse isn’t harmful to humans, despite being an active predator.

The sharp-looking creature feeds on crabs and other worms while under the sea bed.

Sea Mice are not the only creatures to have washed up recently.

A massive creature was found on Cefn Sidan Beach in Pembrey, while in Scotland, a large marine animal was also discovered washed on a beach.

Snake-like creature

A dog walker found the body of the snake-like creature on Ardeer beach at the beginning of the year.

It was a shocking find for the person who discovered it.

They said “the head was no longer on it” and it looked “as if its stomach was also missing”.

Deaths like these have often been linked to being malnourished or pollution in the water, such as plastic waste.

Other strange critters to look out for on beaches include the candy Stripped Flatworm – which looks like a fancy slug – and the Brown Sea Cucumber, which are yellow and brown blobs, but do have frilly tentacles that appear when they are eating.

It is best to avoid touching the latter, however.

Many sea cucumbers produce a toxin called holothurin, which can be irritating or even harmful to humans.

They can be found along many coastal areas of the UK, including Cornwall in particular.

What is a Sea Mouse?

• Sea Mice are a type of marine worm that are often found washed ashore after storms.

• It’s an active predator and will hunt crabs and other small worms to eat.

• These curious critters can reach up to 30cm but on average are around 7-15cm long.

• Sea Mice have small iridescent bristles which can make them appear blue, green, and gold.

• Their scientific name is Aphrodita aculeata – inspired by the Greek Goddess of Love Aphrodite.

• Sea Mice are common but spend most of their time on the sea bed buried head-first. Image credit: Alamy