Mystery creatures on beaches you've found! Identification

Post by **spadgy** » Fri May 15, 2009 12:58 pm

Right, look at this mean ol' bastard.

It's a cryptozoological mystery so far. It's about 5 inchs wide, and had really a tough hard shell when I tapped on it (which scared the shit out of me). So it's round body was a little larger than a top down view of an adult human head. I saw it in the swash on the beach in New Jersey. I thought when I saw it it was a triop, but it turns out they are pretty small as far as I know. None of my mates here in the UK can tell me. Anyone - what kind of animal is this?

EDIT: New thread Subject

mr_m0nks · Post by **mr_m0nks** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:00 pm

I'm sure I saw one if those in Darius

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:02 pm

It's a horseshoe crab. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_crab

Used to seeing these everywhere when I lived in New England. I assumed they were very common along any coasts, but perhaps not...

Edit: Oh man, I really shouldn't post before I've had my cup of coffee...obviously a joke topic.

Post by **spadgy** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:06 pm

CMoon wrote:It's a horseshoe crab. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_crab

Used to seeing these everywhere when I lived in New England. I assumed they were very common along any coasts, but perhaps not...

Edit: Oh man, I really shouldn't post before I've had my cup of coffee...obviously a joke topic.

No, no - I was serious. I had no idea what it was, and I love animals like this, so thanks for posting the reply. As far as I know these don't appear in the UK, and I felt like I'd found a new species when I first spotted it.

mr_m0nks · Post by **mr_m0nks** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:13 pm

saw this on Brighton beach last year, any ideas anyone?

was about 15-18 inches long,

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:24 pm

mr_m0nks wrote:saw this on Brighton beach last year, any ideas anyone?

was about 15-18 inches long,

Perhaps related? http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29976

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:27 pm

spadgy wrote:
CMoon wrote:It's a horseshoe crab. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_crab

Used to seeing these everywhere when I lived in New England. I assumed they were very common along any coasts, but perhaps not...

Edit: Oh man, I really shouldn't post before I've had my cup of coffee...obviously a joke topic.
No, no - I was serious. I had no idea what it was, and I love animals like this, so thanks for posting the reply. As far as I know these don't appear in the UK, and I felt like I'd found a new species when I first spotted it.

They're worth reading up on a bit. Very cool animal actually.

There's a number of cool videos here: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_t ... +crab&aq=f

mr_m0nks · Post by **mr_m0nks** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:30 pm

Spadgy goes to New Jersey and thinks its Jurassic Park.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Fri May 15, 2009 1:57 pm

its even been in a simpsosn episode. Milhouse pets one and says nice doggie. He is not wearing his galsses at this time.

sven666 · Post by **sven666** » Fri May 15, 2009 2:18 pm

Lordstar wrote:its even been in a simpsosn episode. Milhouse pets one and says nice doggie. He is not wearing his galsses at this time.

i like this new lordstar, informative and to the point.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Fri May 15, 2009 2:26 pm

I love Milhouse.

"I'll kick your butt!!! .... at Nintendo".

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Fri May 15, 2009 2:45 pm

almost as good as ralph wiggum saying "hi super-nintendo charmers"

Sandlegs · Post by **Sandlegs** » Fri May 15, 2009 3:26 pm

Yeah, they use horseshoe crab blood for medical use. doesn't kill them and their blood is copper based, so it is blue. sort of looks like blue koolaid with milk mixed in.

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Fri May 15, 2009 5:16 pm

Not very good eats from what I have heard.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Fri May 15, 2009 5:29 pm

mr_m0nks wrote:Spadgy goes to New Jersey and thinks its Jurassic Park.

He's pretty much correct.

maxlords · Post by **maxlords** » Fri May 15, 2009 8:29 pm

Looks like the skull and upper spinal column of a large rat or other similar rodent.

mr_m0nks wrote:saw this on Brighton beach last year, any ideas anyone?

was about 15-18 inches long,

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Fri May 15, 2009 8:37 pm

maybe a kind of dog?

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Fri May 15, 2009 8:39 pm

A rat skull should have large orbits. Kind of reminded me of a snake skull but I don't see familiar structures or teeth. Probably not a bird skull. A side view would've been more helpful for identification.

Diabollokus · Post by **Diabollokus** » Fri May 15, 2009 9:00 pm

Shmuppos by night zoologists by day, this thread delivers

That skull reminds me of your garden variety plesiosaur.

EDIT: I mean the above in the most sarcastic way possible!

brokenhalo · Post by **brokenhalo** » Fri May 15, 2009 10:48 pm

haha. this thread is great! so no horseshoe crabs on british beaches. you learn something new every day.

i usually take my summer vacation in wildwood, new jersey. if there is a rainstorm, horseshoe crabs and other things wash up on the beach. they can get pretty big, with shells measuring a good 10" across. it's fun to throw them back in the ocean if you've been drinking ^_~

MathU · Post by **MathU** » Sat May 16, 2009 12:52 am

Looks more like the cranium and vertebra of some sort of shark because of the rostrum. And it makes sense for it to not have the upper jaws attached, since sharks don't. Their skeletons are cartilaginous though and it seems like it would be rare for that to make it to a beach. Do you have another picture?

However, I wasn't aware any sharks had processes rising up from their intercalary plates. So I guess the cranium (if that is indeed what that is) looks like it belongs to a shark, but the vertebra don't match up.

TigerCraneFist · Post by **TigerCraneFist** » Sat May 16, 2009 1:12 am

mr_m0nks wrote:saw this on Brighton beach last year, any ideas anyone?

was about 15-18 inches long,

That is actually a hardhead catfish, which is also sometimes called a crucifix fish... Did you keep the skull? The reason it is called a crucifix fish in the underside of the skull has a pattern that closely resembles a christain cross....

They are fairly common and very wide ranging fish, cool find man... hope you kept it!

Horseshoe crabs are amazing creatures and certianly look like aliens... we used to find these alive in the thousands on Assateague (?) islands in maryland when they would come up on the beaches in droves to spawn presumably. The undersides of them are amazing... especially when they are still alive.

Post by **spadgy** » Sat May 16, 2009 1:13 am

brokenhalo wrote:haha. this thread is great! so no horseshoe crabs on british beaches. you learn something new every day.

i usually take my summer vacation in wildwood, new jersey. if there is a rainstorm, horseshoe crabs and other things wash up on the beach. they can get pretty big, with shells measuring a good 10" across. it's fun to throw them back in the ocean if you've been drinking ^_~

Exactly where I was - Wildwoods. A crazy place. We live in London, and took a vacation in New York, but living in a city you don't want to spend your whole holiday in another one, so we stayed in the awesome old doo wop-style Caribbean Motel. It was off-season so a bit odd, but we got the whole motel to ourselves, and a car show on the boardwalk meant there was a bit of life.

I also saw an amazing old building on Pacific or Atlantic avenue stuffed to the ceiling with junky old beach-front decor from the past, and there some old arcade cabs tucked in there. I'd love to have access to that wonderful pile of junk!

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Sat May 16, 2009 3:19 am

here's a good one....it washed onshore in the detroit River. I thought it was an evil monster...but found out later they are completely harmless.

The fish is call a "Sucky-Mee-Cocky"

you can find them in dope holes located in Detroit.

Sandlegs · Post by **Sandlegs** » Sat May 16, 2009 4:39 am

Are you sure you can find those in Detroit? I'm sure it's an oarfish. they are scary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oarfish

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat May 16, 2009 6:29 am

That looks EXACTLY like Detroit robotron, the similarities are uncanny. Especially in the people.

Compare with this.

Also, yeah, New Joisey is pretty primal at times. Especially the part that's really New York.

croikle · Post by **croikle** » Sat May 16, 2009 6:57 am

What's up with all the bad photoshopping in the upper right corner?

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Sun May 17, 2009 2:26 pm

Ed Oscuro wrote:That looks EXACTLY like Detroit robotron, the similarities are uncanny. Especially in the people.

Compare with this.

Also, yeah, New Joisey is pretty primal at times. Especially the part that's really New York.

Haha...here is a pic of me near my homie:

it290 · Post by **it290** » Sun May 17, 2009 4:29 pm

^^ That is fucking awesome. Viva la Robotron!

I actually have a video of an unidentified beach creature. Crustacean or insect? You be the judge.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Sun May 17, 2009 7:39 pm

mr_m0nks wrote:saw this on Brighton beach last year, any ideas anyone?

was about 15-18 inches long,

Klingon penis bone.

you cant make this shit up

http://www.google.co.uk/search?source=i ... meta=lr%3D