STRANGE and ‘alien-looking’ seafood which could be worth ‘thousands of pounds’ washed up on the beach during the weekend.
John Jennings, a local photographer who found the strange-looking object near Boscombe Pier while out walking, said it “came out of the sea during the storm” and he “thought it was pretty cool”.
Experts at Bournemouth University say the mysterious object is in fact goose barnacles “hitching a ride on a large log”.
Goose barnacles live out at sea and are usually only seen on the coast when they drift in, such as this one, or when they’re attached to ships.
READ MORE: Walrus spotted on Calshot beach
Goose barnacles, a type of crustacean, have a long fleshy stem that looks like a black neck, which is topped with a chalky white shell that houses the main body of the barnacle.
Related to crabs and lobsters, goose barnacles are considered a delicacy to certain countries and can be sold for up to £80 a kilo.
The log, though it looks large in the image, is only one metre long or “about the length of a leg”, according to photographer John Jennings.
It is believed the goose barnacles washed up during the recent stormy weather.
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