Sea Monsters on the Beaches of Britain: They Must Not Be Destroyed 0 7

A local resident was collecting trash on the popular Llandonna beach on Anglesey Island in Wales. She discovered strange creatures under a plastic lid.

"The plastic lid was upside down on the wet sand. I lifted it and saw these creatures," said local resident Chloe Huwch, as reported by The Sun.

In the photo, it is visible that the lid is covered with translucent yellowish sea creatures, which Chloe and her daughter initially took for sea slugs. But she was surprised by their behavior when the girl touched them: they seemed to contract.

After Chloe posted the photos on social media, an underwater photographer clarified that these are sea ascidians, specifically a large species called Ciona intestinalis.

They are common in shallow waters in the UK, although they are considered an invasive species.

These are soft, tubular organisms characterized by a pale, translucent body, capable of reaching 20 cm in length.

Chloe felt sorry for these strange creatures and decided to leave them alone.

The photographer who identified these creatures explained in his comment: "They are omnivorous colonizers of almost any surface where nothing else grows."

He noted that when there are many ascidians, they spread and filter the water. These marine organisms are completely harmless but can accumulate in "huge quantities."