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Frightening new species of sea monster has 20 arms and looks like facehugger from Alien movie

Home> News> Animals

Published 10:12 12 Aug 2023 GMT+1

Frightening new species of sea monster has 20 arms and looks like facehugger from Alien movie

Wonder what else lurks in the deep blue...

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

Anyone who is into their sci-fi will probably have an image of the spine-chilling facehugger from Alien seared permanently into their minds forever.

But, what would you do if I told you marine biologists have found something of a real-life facehugger lurking in the frozen depths of Antarctica?

Well, brace yourself for some unsettling snaps as a frightening new species of sea monster with 20 arms has been discovered and its got a pretty bizarre name to match its equally odd appearance.

Marine biologists have discovered a brand-new sea creature species.
McLaughlin, Wilson and Rouse

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It all started when a group of scientists embarked on a series of expeditions through the Southern Ocean between 2008 and 2017.

The whole purpose of the mission was to hunt for 'cryptic' sea animals known as Promachocrinus if you're fancy, and Antarctic feather stars if you're not.

Although more similar to other invertebrates like starfish and sea cucumbers, the creatures - which sport an 'otherworldly appearance' when swimming - are 'large' in size and can live up to 6,500 feet below the water's surface.

The 'otherworldly creature' lives up to 6,500 feet below the water's surface.
McLaughlin, Wilson and Rouse

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On the expedition, the group found eight totally unique species on their mission, including four which have never before been named by scientists.

One of which has been named Promachocrinus fragarius, or the Antarctic strawberry feather star.

Sounds weirdly quite pretty considering its appearance is akin to the creature from the Alien movie.

The creatures were named after their 'strawberry-like' body from which 20 spindly arms branch off.

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Photos of the feather star show that the creature appears to have two different types of arms; the lower ones look slightly thinner and shorter with stripes while the others appear to be longer and feathered.

The 'strawberry-like' body branches off to 20 separate arms.
McLaughlin, Wilson and Rouse

The team noted that the Antarctic strawberry feather star can also range in its coloring - from 'purplish' all the way to 'dark reddish'.

The findings were published last month (14 July) in the peer-reviewed journal Invertebrate Systematics.

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The research team for the discovery included Emily McLaughlin, Nerida Wilson and Greg Rouse who identified the Antarctic strawberry feather star as a new species based on its body shape and DNA analysis.

People likened the sea creature to the facehugger in Alien.
Facebook/Eric Browne

Understandably, the news has left quite the impression on the world with many rushing to social media to share their reactions to the incredible discovery.

One Facebook user penned: "This is terrifying."

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A second joked: "It looks like the creature from the first Alien movie when it came out of its egg."

"Yeah I've seen that movie, please leave it frozen," echoed a third.

"Alien's living under the ice," claimed a fourth.

A final Facebook user quipped: "Weirdest strawberry I've even seen."

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That's for sure.

Featured Image Credit: Greg Rouse

Topics: Animals, News, Weird, World News

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.

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