A large tree log covered in curious shell creatures is intriguing locals in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, with debate over whether they are edible delicacies or alien-like creatures.
Kylie Morman came across the interesting discovery on her morning walk on May 7 and said it was both amazing and gross at the same time.
"It had worm-like tentacles and living creatures in the shells."
Making the find even more intriguing was the scale – at upwards of five metres long and entirely covered with the dreadlock-like creatures, the log was no small visitor.
Anita Bethune also was intrigued by the discovery, as were other beachgoers who remarked on the 'alien-like appearance of the log,' and asked what it was.
Locals were under the impression they were an expensive sea delicacy known as gooseneck barnacles, which a department of conservation spokesperson said were reasonably common around New Zealand.
But don't plan the dinner party yet.
The species is likely to be Lepas anatifera and is different from the type of goose barnacle which is a common delicacy in Portugal and Spain, the spokesperson said.
Wilma Blom, marine invertebrate curator at Auckland Museum, said the recent persistent north easterlies had brought them to our shores.
Blom confirmed these were gooseneck barnacles, "probably Lepas anatifera. Yes, they are eaten, particularly by Mediterranean cultures. However, I have never eaten them myself."
Mysterious creatures of the deep
The smaller crabs were often found in association with gooseneck barnacles and also attached to flotsam and jetsam around the ocean.
Similar washed up logs had baffled Auckland beachgoers a few years earlier when the "alien-like" logs washed up at Piha beach, shocking residents.
