MUSTANG ISLAND — First creepy dolls, now eyeballs? Some strange things have washed ashore in the Coastal Bend.
The latest discovery, coined the ‘spaghetti monster’ by researchers looks like something out of a horror movie.
“Just this last week we’ve had a report of several of them washing in on Mustang Island,” Jace Tunnell, the director of community engagement at the Harte Research Institute of the Gulf of Mexico Studies, said during an interview with KRIS 6 on March 18.
Also known as a thread jellyfish, it’s a community of animals that live together to make it look like one animal.
“Rhizophysa is what we call it in the scientific world,” Tunnell said. “It’s actually related to the blue bottle jelly fish which is the ‘man o’ war.”
For those who haven’t seen it, it resembles an eyeball.
“It’s a gas bulb at the top of it with tentacles that come down off of it which is actually how it feeds,” Tunnell said. “It will get plankton that are in the water and then bring it up to its mouth to be able to digest it.”
Strong southeast winds push the thread jellyfish up, so it’s common to see them around the March or April time frame.
Tunnell finds all sorts of things during his beach combing trips. He vlogs his adventures on the Harte Institute’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
“Some of the things we found are metal floats which they don’t make anymore,” Tunnell said. “We are also finding things that look like snakes with the skins taken off but they’re actually egg casings to the lightning whelk. So, those are just some things that have washed up this week including blue dragons.”
Like blue dragons and man o' wars, it’s not a good idea to touch a thread jellyfish's tentacles.
“It may look small and everything, but it can really pack a punch,” Tunnel said.
If someone is stung by one, Tunnell recommends putting some vinegar and warm water to relieve the pain.
