BANGKOK: Tourists and locals were surprised to find the popular Pranburi Beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan littered with mysterious transparent, needle-like creatures on Tuesday (Oct 8).
When pictures of these strange creatures were shared on social networks, many marine experts said they could belong to the Creseis species, a type of sea snail belonging to the Pteropod order.
Promsing Singhaseni, a volunteer at the Pranburi Environment Protection unit, said the white, transparent needlelike creatures were seen scattered on a 5km stretch from Khao Kaloke to the mouth of Pranburi River.
He said a fisherman told him that they had never seen anything like this for decades.
A kiteboarder going by the name Noey Varinya shared a clip showing she and her friends carefully plucking the creatures off their suits after they emerged from the water.
She warned that these creatures were also floating in the sea.
Kiteboarding instructor Atthawut Trinai said the sea has been awash with these creatures since Monday, adding that parents should be careful and not allow children to swim until they have disappeared, as these needle-like things can pierce the skin.
Marine experts said this rare phenomenon was last seen in 2021 when these strange creatures invaded Ban Krut, another beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan. - The Nation/ANN
