A typical day at the shore turned a little strange when these beachgoers came across these unusual finds in the sand. You won’t believe your eyes when you see the wild things that have washed ashore all around the world, from the most bizarre and odd, to the gross and creepy…
A Plane Submerged
A P-38 plane was found on a beach in Wales, and was nearly perfectly intact, allowing a full investigation to be launched to figure out why it went down.
Hands-On
A prosthetic hand was found on a beach in Staten Island, New York. Looking like something out of a Star Wars film, the owner probably needed a hand locating it.
Rhode Island Jaw
This strange piece of bone washed ashore in Rhode Island and looks to be a part of an animal’s jaw.
Sea Pickles
Translucent, bumpy-skinned oblong sea creatures called pyrosomes or “sea pickles” have washed up along the Pacific coastline of the U.S., inexplicably congregating by the millions.
Massive Ice Balls
Hefty ice spheres as big as basketballs and weighing 50 pounds clustered along the northeastern coast of Lake Michigan in 2013. Ice balls like these begin as bits of slush and ice crystals, shaped by the rolling motion of waves close to shore.
Missing Liver
A series of gruesome marine “crime scenes” played out on South African beaches when scientists discovered the ragged remains of four great white sharks that were missing their livers. Orcas were the prime suspects, as they are known to occasionally prey on great whites.
A Modern “Sea Monster”
Residents of Seram Island, Indonesia had a boat-sized creature dripping with red fluid and with parts of its body inflated by large quantities of gas-producing bacteria wash ashore. However, scientists explained that the creature was a type of baleen whale…
Oarfish Ovaries
When a deep-sea oarfish measuring 13.5 feet (4 meters) in length washed up on Catalina Island in California on June 1, 2015, it offered scientists the rare opportunity to take a closer look at the fish’s biology. Teams of scientists jumped at the chance to study the animal, which they discovered had 7-foot-long ovaries.
Blue “Sailors”
In 2014, beachgoers on the western coast of the United States were confronted by millions of squishy blue animals resembling jellyfish, but each was topped with a rigid structure resembling a sail. Each of these tiny organisms, called “by-the-wind sailors,” measures about 2.75 inches (7 centimeters) in length. Every few years, storm activity can sweep them toward coastal regions, where they pile up on beaches in enormous quantities.
Purple Blob
On July 13, a Reddit user shared photos of a peculiar lumpy object on a California beach that resembled “an organ,” according to the photographer. Marine biologists told Live Science that it could be a type of sea slug (pictured here) or a limpet.
Junk Science
Perplexed officials and bystanders in Mexico were stymied by a massive, shapeless jumble of pulpy, greyish flesh in 2016, after it washed ashore on an Acapulco beach. Experts explained that mystery masses such as this one are the decaying heads of sperm whales.
Giant Squid
Enormous squids that dwell in the deep ocean are rarely seen by people unless they happen to die and wash up on land, as did a giant squid, the largest known invertebrate, in 2013. The sizable beast beached in October at the La Arena beach in Cantabria, Spain, measuring 30 feet in length and weighed a staggering 400 pounds.
Beach Games
This person discovered an NES system with a game stuck in it washed up on the beach.
Message in a Bottle
This message in a bottle was found in Galveston, Texas. The lucky finder didn’t just get a note, but a few small gifts from the person who threw it in the water.
Space Find
Part of a space shuttle that fell into the sea was discovered off the coast of Costa Rica.
The Lost Key
An old rusted key was found on a beach in Bizerte, Tunisia. Perhaps it was an old pirate key!
Dinosaur Femur
Part of an 80-million-year-old fossil thighbone found embedded in marine rock in Washington’s San Juan islands provided the first evidence that dinosaurs once roamed the state. Paleontologists discovered the femur while looking for fossilized signs of other extinct animals, and the rock was so hard that it took an entire day to pry the fossil out.
Hiding the Weapon
An old rusted pistol was found on the beach, believed to be an old war pistol, researchers are still trying to nail down its make.
The Head of a Monster
The head of a terrifying sea creature was found dead on a beach. With teeth like these, we’re glad this creature was found dead and not alive.
Driftwood
This massive piece of driftwood was found at the beach. An old Redwood made its way in the ocean and ended up here, where luckily, no one was injured.
A Tiny Starfish
A cute little starfish found on a beach in Alaska washed ashore, and luckily, was still alive. Researchers out cleaning the beach found this little guy and returned him to the water.
The Headless Mystery
Fishermen from the Newfoundland’s Bay of Islands were stumped with this one – this 15-foot-long headless creature apparently had a 10-foot-long tail. Officials of Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans still haven’t released a statement identifying this creature, even though it was first discovered in February of 2010.
The Blob in Real Life
October 28, 2009, was an eventful day for the people of Temuka, a small island on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island. With eyes and ribs or tentacles on both sides of the beached creature, eyewitnesses might have concluded it was an alien, but scientists revealed that the blob was actually the top of a sperm whale’s head.
A Sturgeon’s Tale
Residents who discovered this washed-up animal tail on South Carolina’s Folly Beach in March 2012 may have felt like they were in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The truth, however, might actually be equally impressive: a local vet identified it as an Atlantic sturgeon, an ancient creature that can grow as long as 15 feet and weigh as much as 800 pounds.
Shark Bite
Scientists believe that this creature may have inspired several mythological and folk tales about serpentine sea monsters. It’s actually a deep-sea kind of shark found near the Lakes Entrance off southeastern Victoria, Australia, in January 2015.
Spores
On August 3, 2011, the shores of Northwestern Alaska were totally overrun by billions of tiny orange spores. Scientists identified the spores as native terrestrial, and they were actually fungal spores from a type of plant rust.
Evil Pig Roast
On July 25, 2012, the NY Daily News reported that photographer Denise Ginley and her boyfriend were walking along the East River when they spotted this gnarly-looking thing on a stretch of sand under the Brooklyn Bridge. The Parks Department claimed that the creature was a discarded cooked pig.
A Rare Kingfish
These double-take-worthy fishes are actually a known if rarely seen species called moonfish or sunfish or kingfish. This particular one was found off the coast of San Diego and may have weighed as much as 100 lbs.
Badger-Dog-Horse
Perhaps it was a horse, but this poor beast was pretty decayed when it was found on the shores of Tenby in Wales in 2013. The carcass had several seemingly unique characteristics which made identifying it tricky. Experts who spoke to the Western Telegraph were confident it might have been a badger or a dog.
Purple Discovery
One of the less frightening encounters seen washed ashore is these creatures that are actually sea snails that commonly blow ashore after a storm in warm and tropical climates. They dwell near or on the surface of the water and have a beautiful blue sheen.
Soulmate Stones
A shrine of rocks marked with people’s hopes and dreams was found on a beach in Oakville. When beachgoers visit this area, they take a stone and leave behind a wish or a dream, hoping that one day, they will come true.
Icy Shores
Huge chunks of ice washed ashore on the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Scientists believe that global warming was the culprit, as giant chunks of glaciers are breaking off and showing up on different beaches around the world.
Creepy Carcass
This 30-foot decomposing carcass of a marine animal was found by a couple in Scotland. What is it, you ask? Your guess is as good as ours.
The Montauk Monsters
From the fork of Long Island, it came ashore—the first of perhaps three reported “Montauk Monsters” appeared in 2008. The scientific consensus on the origins of the creature say that it is a raccoon, but some aren’t convinced. The carcass mysteriously vanished soon after…
Bomb’s Away
These kids thought they were playing with an old buoy on the beach, but it turned out to be an unexploded bomb from WWII!
Space Travel
This strange-looking object is debris from the crashed SpaceX Falcon 9. It was discovered on the beach at Elbow Bay in the Bahamas, months after the Falcon had crashed.
Sea Slugs
These slimy, purple blobs were found off the coast of California. They are sea hares (a.k.a. sea slugs). Hard to imagine this is a living creature and not just a blob of ocean slime.
Fossilized Tooth
This fossilized tooth from a prehistoric shark was found on a beach in North Carolina. It’s estimated the shark it belonged to thousands of years ago was likely 60 feet long. Luckily, these beasts aren’t in our oceans today, unlike this next creepy find…
The Oarfish
A rare 200-pound, 15-foot oarfish was found on the beach at Santa Catalina Island in California. Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the Oarfish is the longest of all fish.
A Diamond in the Rough
This woman lost her wedding ring, which was later found by a kind stranger at Shell Beach. He was able to return the ring to her by posting it to a ring finder website. This next find, however, was probably better left behind…
A Creepy Figurine
A weird hybrid mouse-kangaroo toy washed up on the shores of Dead Horse Bay, Brooklyn. Much like its name, strange items frequently wash ashore here…
Cup O’ Joe
Beachgoers of Indialantic, Florida were pleasantly surprised to find thousands of vacuum-sealed cans of Cafe Bustelo coffee washed ashore. This was one perky beach clean-up.
Black Tar Beach
Mysterious clumps of black tar washing ashore caused officials to temporarily close Manhattan Beach, California until the mess was cleaned up. This was most likely the aftermath of a leak that ended up in the ocean, possibly from a ship like this next find…
Ambergris AKA Whale Vomit
This chunk of ambergris, a highly valuable whale vomit used in perfumes, was found by a dog walker. It sold for a whopping $16,253 at auction. Maybe it’s just us, but thinking about whale vomit being an ingredient in perfume makes us second-guess dousing ourselves in it next time.
Ship-Unwrecked
An old shipwreck was revealed after many years under the sea, when a flash storm washed it ashore in Navagio Bay in Greece.
Ocean Litter
A Blogger made a rather elegant arrangement of things she found washed ashore, organized by color. Now that’s one way to make cleaning up litter look a little more appealing.
Mermaid Purse
These strange little Batman-esque objects are actually the egg cases for the skate fish, a member of the ray family. They are sometimes referred to as “mermaid purses.”
Spearhead
This prehistoric spearhead, estimated to be between 10,000 and 11,000 years old, was found washed up on a beach near Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
Coastguard
A Canadian coast guard hat, encrusted with coral and barnacles, was found on a beach in Ireland. Once the barnacles were cleared off, you could still see the coat of arms.
Illegal Finds
Not everything washing ashore is innocent, however. These bags of a highly illegal narcotic, estimated to be worth around $175,000, were found on a beach near Galveston Island, Texas, that’s one way to slip across the border.
Tiny Seahorse
This seahorse washed ashore, beached by the current, and was found by a kind beachgoer. Unfortunately, the tiny creature didn’t make it, but this tourist got a cool little souvenir.
Sea Rafts
Thousands of these weird little critters were found on beaches along the southern coast of the United States. They’re known as “sea rafts” and although they closely resemble the highly poisonous Portuguese man o’ war, these little guys are harmless.
An Ailing Sea Turtle
Old sea turtles were found on Long Beach, Washington. They were in bad shape due to hypothermia, but thankfully they were nursed back to health after being transferred to the Newport Aquarium.