A terrified man stumbled onto a goldmine of 'alien-spawn' whilst out walking his dog on a UK beach. Dave McGirr discovered thousands of Gooseneck barnacles washed up on a beach, with his find worth thousands of pounds.
Dave was on holiday in Wales when he made the unique find on the Criccieth shoreline. The tourist spotted thousands of the white-shelled creatures clinging onto a washed up on a 21ft tree trunk on the shore, reports North Wales Live.
As a keen photographer, the holidaymaker decided to take some snaps of his 'peculiar' discovery. Unaware at what he found, Dave decided to look up the creatures online.
He was then stunned to learn he had found a raft of Gooseneck barnacles, a seafood delicacy which can fetch for £2 each depending on size. Dave said: "I found out they are Gooseneck barnacles, described as rare 'alien-like' sea creatures.
“They are said to be a delicacy, selling for more than £80 a kilo.”
The rare species of barnacle are enjoyed in countries such as Portugal and Spain, where they are called percebes. The taste of the pricey barnacles is often compared in flavour to lobster and clam.
Dave did not think too much of his find and moved onto his next destination to continue his trip. He shared the pictures he had taken on social media, not expecting much of a reaction.
Dave said: “At the time I posted the photos on Facebook without thinking them particularly newsworthy."
However, the pics created quite the social media storm, with users stunned by the strange looking sea creatures. One woman commented: "Aliens have landed!!”
Meanwhile others urged him to “get collecting!” If he had then his lucrative haul is estimated to have been worth between £3-5k.
Despite the hype around the sea creatures, Dave says he would probably turn down the chance to sample his findings. He said “When you get close, you can see they are like small octopuses, or squid.
"They have tiny tentacles that reach out from their shells. I’ve never tried eating them and, having now seen them, I’m not sure I’d want to try.”
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