Thousands of starfish have appeared on a popular Gower beach.
The sea creatures were spotted in multiple rock pools across Oxwich Bay.
Richard Harrison, from Penllergaer, had made the trip to the beach on June 7 "in the hope of catching some prawns" when he made the discovery.
The 38-year-old said: "There was a big spring tide and with us now being allowed to travel a few miles we hit the rock pools in time for low tide, where more of the pools are exposed, in the hope of catching some prawns.
"We were staggered, however, by the number of starfish covering the pools and making it quite difficult to even walk across the ground.
"I assume it's breeding season for them."
It is thought that around 1,500 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans and they are generally found 20,000ft below the surface.
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales explained that it is not uncommon for starfish to wash up on beaches after stormy weather.
Laura Evans, living seas Wales project officer, said: "It looks as if the starfish have been feeding on the same mussel bed, for example, and then eaten through everything and found themselves stranded in a rockpool.
"They look relatively alive rather than it being a 'wreck' of dead or dying animals."
She added: "Starfish 'wrecks' are not uncommon. It can happen after big wintry storms – particularly if the storm coincides with a big spring tides.
"They reproduce quickly so these kinds of washouts aren’t a big problem in general."
This comes after a common smooth-hound shark was seen on Caswell Bay earlier this month.
The shark was spotted cut off from the sea and swimming around in a pool of water at the beach before people began to dig trenches to help it return to the sea.
