The sighting of a mysterious sea creature swimming near a bridge in South Carolina has captured the attention of people, leaving experts baffled about its identity. The appearance of this creature has sparked curiosity and intrigue among observers who are uncertain about what it could possibly be.

A video clip showing the unidentified creature swimming in the waters near Pawleys Island has gone viral on social media. While it remains unclear what the species was, the creature appears to have a beak and some form of appendages—possibly wings or fins—that enable it to stay buoyant. However, its overall silhouette doesn't resemble that of a typical bird, adding to the mystery surrounding its identity.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources also said it was not sure about the creature's identity.

"The people in my office are mostly stumped, but we're not the experts," an official with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources told WCNC.

A law enforcement officer claimed that the creature could be a squid, however, the International Business Times could not confirm it.

The video was sent to the Marine Resources Research Institute in Charleston where the experts are studying the footage to determine the identity of the creature and put an end to the mystery surrounding it.

Meanwhile, WCNC-TV's meteorologist Brad Panovich expressed his thoughts about the creature.

"At first, I thought it was a cuttlefish," he said, but now it is suspected to be a sea hare or sea slug.

"They can be pretty large, and they do swim in the water like that," Panovich said, adding that such creatures are not typically found in South Carolina. He noted these creatures are "more of a Florida and West Coast thing" found in warmer waters, further adding to its mystery.

There have been several instances in the past when mysterious sea creatures have been spotted in the U.S., confusing experts about their origin. Earlier this year, a San Francisco photographer stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a massive sea creature. Elke Teichmann and her roommate were at Fort Funston in California when they found the remnants of the creature.

"My roommate and I were walking our dogs on the beach, observing all the driftwood that had washed up from the storm, when I saw something that caught my eye," Teichmann told SFGATE in an email. "From my vantage point, it looked like some large white item peeking through all of the scattered branches." Initially, she thought it was the remains of a whale vertebra, but later, Bay Area researchers confirmed the creature's true identity, LA Times reported at the time.

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This is a representational image. Reuters