Mysterious Sea Creature With '3 Eyes' Washes Up On Shore, Baffles Fishermen

A mysterious stone-like sea creature washed up on a shore in India recently, leaving local fishermen baffled about its origin. The creature was found Friday along Vadaveru coast in Andhra Pradesh's Chirala town.

Fishermen who spotted the sea creature said it resembled a stone but its texture was rubber-like as it can be stretched.

"It weighs three-and-half kilograms and has three 'eyes.' We usually know the names of different fishes but this is the first time we are all seeing this," a fisherman told the Times of India. Some of them claimed the creature could be a rare fish or a kind of deformed animal.

When it was first spotted, fishermen were hesitant to go close to it. But after they realized it was dead, they went closer to examine it. The fisheries department in the area was alerted and officers arrived at the scene to determine the origin of the creature. Officials took the sea creature with them for further inspection.

Aquatic experts told the Times of India that the sea creature could be a member of Phylum porifera, commonly known as sea sponge. But, the area is not known to have sea sponges.

Sea sponges are aquatic animals with dense, yet porous, skeletons. They are highly adapted to their environments and like corals, are immobile aquatic invertebrates. They are found in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Mysterious and bizarre-looking sea creatures have often washed up on beaches.

Earlier this month in Texas, a mysterious sea creature with long yellow tendrils washed up on the shore. A photo of the creature was posted on Facebook by the Padre Island National Seashore. At first glance, it seems as if the image shows some sea garbage. But on a closer look, the object is revealed to be a sea creature, resembling a cord or wire lying coiled in the sand.

"Have you ever been out walking the beach, perhaps picking up trash and you come across something that looks like this? We often get asked what this is, and more often people assume that it's trash," the post said. It was later revealed that the creature was a sea whip coral, found from New Jersey down through the Gulf of Mexico.