A group of octopuses washed up on the Ceredigion beach Friday night, which was quite a rarity for seagoers in the area.
Brett Stones, who runs tours on Cardigan Bay in Wales, said he noticed 25 octopuses on the New Quay Beach just after returning from the sea, according to BBC.
"It was a bit like an end of days scenario," he told BBC. "There were probably about 20 or 25 on the beach. I have never seen them out of the water like that."
Social media users shared their thoughts on the washed-up octopuses over the weekend.
Experts said there have been additional reports of curled octopuses showing up on Welsh shores this week, according to The International Business Times.
As BBC reported, experts remain confused about why the creatures showed up. However, theres been a decline in the octopus population as of late because the cod population has decreased, too.
Seeing them wash up onshore is very unusual, according to BBC.
It is really rare to see them, Stones told BBC.
Steve Simpson, a lecturer in marine biology at the University of Bristol, agreed that this is a rarity.
"They are fairly vulnerable on land and its hard to imagine they have found a new food source. They may be aggregating to reproduce but they do tend to be territorial and solitary," Simpson told The Telegraph.
Weve seen a similar phenomenon in the United States. Back in 2011, octopuses climbed up onto the shores of San Mateo County in California.
Brett Stones, who runs tours on Cardigan Bay in Wales, said he noticed 25 octopuses on the New Quay Beach just after returning from the sea, according to BBC.
"It was a bit like an end of days scenario," he told BBC. "There were probably about 20 or 25 on the beach. I have never seen them out of the water like that."
Social media users shared their thoughts on the washed-up octopuses over the weekend.
Experts said there have been additional reports of curled octopuses showing up on Welsh shores this week, according to The International Business Times.
As BBC reported, experts remain confused about why the creatures showed up. However, theres been a decline in the octopus population as of late because the cod population has decreased, too.
Seeing them wash up onshore is very unusual, according to BBC.
It is really rare to see them, Stones told BBC.
Steve Simpson, a lecturer in marine biology at the University of Bristol, agreed that this is a rarity.
"They are fairly vulnerable on land and its hard to imagine they have found a new food source. They may be aggregating to reproduce but they do tend to be territorial and solitary," Simpson told The Telegraph.
Weve seen a similar phenomenon in the United States. Back in 2011, octopuses climbed up onto the shores of San Mateo County in California.