Locals stunned after discovering brain-like blobs on beach
When heading to the beach, you expect to see a lot of sun, sand and just have a general good time.
While she may not have been sunbathing, one Aussie woman was shocked to find bizarre brain-like blobs while taking a stroll on a beach.
The rather oddly shaped objects were found washed up on a beach in Lauderdale, which is around 20 miles south-east of the popular city of Hobart.
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The woman was understandably curious as to what the creatures could be, so she took to Facebook to find some answers.
Images of the blobs have gone viral on social media, and there is certainly a resemblance to human brains.
One image appears to show the blob covered in a green sponge like surface, while another shows more colored blobs covered by swirly imprints.
However, Facebook did not provide many credible answers, with most users equally as confused as to what the blobs may be.
"Some kind of sea sponge maybe?" one user guessed.
"So that's where my brain went," another joked.
Others on Facebook provided some more credible answers, such as the possibility of it being some type of coral or sea sponge.
To help with the guessing game, the woman pointed out that the blobs were not rocks as they felt soft after she touched them.
Well, it turns out the creatures are actually known as sea squirts - marine animals that are found in the ocean.
Often, you'll find these creatures wash up onto other objects and surfaces such as piers, ships, and rocks.
If you are still a little confused, then thankfully ecologist and fisheries biologist Dr Vincent Raoult has explained all in an interview with Yahoo News Australia.
"The terms are interchangeable, sea squirt is the common name," he explained. "They can get washed up on beaches during storms."
Despite their rather peculiar appearance, Dr Raoult explained that these blobs, or animals as we now know them, are 'more closely related to humans and fishes' than they are to plants or even jellyfish.
Sea squirts are collectively known as ascidians, with over 80 of these species found in just Sydney alone.
Typically, they are found in shallow water environments, so you can certainly see why they end up washed up on the beach.
Callum Jones