A photo from Wardie Bay taken this weekend has left locals saddened after they learned the reason hundreds of starfish had washed up on the shore.
Locals had been reacting positively to the picture which showed a number of the creatures floating in the water at Wardie Bay in Granton before other users pointed out that most were likely dead.
It's not the first time locals in Edinburgh and the Lothians have reported similar sights on beaches in the area.
In February last year, a few hundred star fish washed up on the shore at Yellowcraig in East Lothian, with countryside rangers linking it to the effects of Storm Ciara.
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In 2018, similarly sad sightings were also reported after Storm Eleanor, with marine experts explaining the creatures had likely died after being washed into the cold British seas.
It was one of the biggest mass strandings on record, and as well as starfish The Marine Conservation Society also reported that hundreds of lobsters and clams had washed up on shore.
But whilst it is an upsetting sight, experts have said previously it is not something to be overly concerned about and is a relatively common occurrence.
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."
