A family has discovered a mystery object entirely covered in shellfish worth thousands of pounds.
Michael Jones, from Merthyr, was out walking with his wife and two daughters on north Gower when they came across the peculiar looking items on Whiteford Sands.
And Mr Jones says he is sure what the family encountered was a collection of Goosenecked barnacles, which are a delicacy in countries such as Portugal and Spain.
Mr Jones, who was staying at nearby Premier Leisure caravan site, said: “I was walking with my family near Whiteford lighthouse, just taking the dog for a walk.
“It was about ten foot long and a metre wide, absolutely enormous.
“I’m sure they are Gooseneck barnacles, which are worth an amazing amount of money.
“I think they sell for about £80 a pound. Unfortunately, this was probably about a quarter of a ton, so there’s no way I could move it.
“I would have made a fortune."
It’s not the first time something similar has turned up on the beaches of south Wales.
The discovery bears a striking resemblance to that which was spotted in Carmarthenshire last month.
On that occasion, another long, large object was found by walkers on Burry Port beach, with what appeared to be a blanket of small shells or possibly barnacles attached to it.
The exact identity of that find remains a mystery, although it was likened to a find in New Zealand last year, which spared a debate on social media.
The discovery on Muriwai Beach was eventually identified by experts at the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society, who concluded it was it a large piece of driftwood which had become overrun by a species of gooseneck barnacles called Lepasanatifera - exactly the same species Mr Jones claimed to have identified in Gower.
