Edinburgh locals were amazed as around 50 starfish were washed up on Wardie Bay this morning.
Trina Mckendrick spotted dozens of the star shaped sea creatures after a morning dip in the Leith water.
The stunning image shows a large number of the five-armed creatures glistening in the morning sun.
They appear to be washed up and can often happen after stormy weather which the capital has had plenty of this week.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live Trina said: “It was about 9.30 am. There were at least 50. I had just come out of the water after a beautiful swim.
“I don’t know if they were alive. I touched one and it didn’t move. None of them moved but they were very beautiful.”
It's not the first time locals in Edinburgh and the Lothians have reported similar sights on beaches in the area.
Wardie Bay was swamped with starfish in February this year also following a storm.
Dr Chris Mah, a starfish researcher from the Smithsonian Institute, explained in a post on his website that populations are usually able to bounce back.
"In almost every instance that this has been reported, there have been reports of either storms or high winds.
"Bear in mind that storms don't just mean high winds and rough water current. It also means fresh water input. Echinoderms are notoriously intolerant of freshwater.
"Low salinity water might serve to weaken or otherwise just disable enough of them to be washed ashore."
He added: "Although it seems like hundreds to thousands of individuals, bear in mind that many of these species occur over a huge area and their spawn includes hundreds of millions of individuals."
Trina shared the stunning image to Facebook which has already gathered dozens of likes.
One user gushed: “My goodness!”
One said: “Oh my word!”
While another user added: “No way!”
