Beachgoers were shocked to discover an “alien” log washed up on a popular New Zealand beach last week.
Kylie Morman was left baffled after she came across the large tree trunk covered in curious shell creatures during a morning walk in the Bay of Plenty on the north coast of New Zealand’s North Island on May 7.
She described the 5-metre-long find as “amazing” and “disgusting”, telling Stuff that it had “worm-like tentacles and living creatures on the shells”.
Other beachgoers debated whether the massive trunk was covered in edible delicacies known as gooseneck barnacles, and they were right, experts say.
Wilma Blom, curator of marine invertebrates at the Auckland Museum, confirmed that they were gooseneck barnacles, “probably Lepas anatifera”.
“Yes, they are eaten, especially in Mediterranean cultures. However, I have never eaten them,” he told the publication.
They are commonly known as ‘pelagic gooseneck barnacle’ or ‘smooth gooseneck barnacle’ and are a species of barnacle in the family Lepadidae.
And the reason they’ve attached themselves to a log is because they’re often found in large numbers, attached by their flexible stems to driftwood, ship hulls, docks, pilings, seaweed, and various types of flotsam, according to iNaturalist. Australia.
A spokesperson for the conversation department told Stuff that they were fairly common in New Zealand.
“The species is likely Lepas anatifera and is different from the type of barnacle, which is a common delicacy in Portugal and Spain,” the spokesperson said.
It is not the first time that “alien-like” barnacles surprise kiwis.
In 2020, Aucklanders were baffled when they encountered the “weird looking” creatures on Piha Beach.
Barnacles covered a giant piece of driftwood on West Auckland beach.
“From a distance, we thought it was a whale that had washed up on shore,” local Hannah Flett told Stuff at the time.
“But when we got closer, we saw these creatures… they all looked very strange.”
She said it looked like they were reaching for something, describing it as “fascinating.”