Thread: Strange creature

Hey guys,
I found this strange looking 'thing' on the beach last week. Hundreds of them have been washing up on Perth's (Australia) beaches.
Can anybody tell me what it is and why they are all washing up all of a sudden?

It looks a little like a cuttlefish bone. Not 100% sure though.


EDIT: Apparently they die after breeding. That in conjunction with some specific wind and tide conditions maybe washed them ashore.

Originally Posted by Zwirko

It looks a little like a cuttlefish bone. Not 100% sure though.

Looks like that to me too.
Looks exactly like the one on this page:
Budgerigars and cuttlefish bone

More info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuttlebone

It does not look like cuttlebone. It is cuttlebone.

This is an internal shell for the cuttlefish, which is a variation of squid. It is porous, and acts as a kind of swim bladder, giving a degree of buoyancy to the animal, which would otherwise sink. When the animal dies, and the flesh rots to release the cuttlebone, its buoyancy carries it to the surface, and it may then wash ashore.

Originally Posted by skeptic

It does not look like cuttlebone. It is cuttlebone.

So - cuttlebone doesn't look like cuttlebone?
That must make it very difficult to identify. :P

Whoops. My apology.

I left out the word 'just'. As in : "it does not just look like cuttlebone..."

Originally Posted by skeptic

Whoops. My apology.
I left out the word 'just'. As in : "it does not just look like cuttlebone..."

No apology needed.
I was only joshing.