Mass of alien-like sea creatures washed up on North Wales beach could be worth £50,000

A host of freakish "alien-like" sea creatures have washed up on the shores of Gwynedd beach in Caernarfon, North Wales over the weekend. Martyn Green, 47, was enjoying a holiday stroll on the beach with his family when they came upon a weird mass of sea creatures. What they thought was a large piece of driftwood that had washed up on the shore turned out to be thousands of tentacled sea critters attached to the piece of wood.

Upon closer inspection, the creatures were identified as Gooseneck Barnacles - a species related to the crustacean family of crabs and lobsters.

In an article on the Daily Post North Wales, the Green family had looked up their find with a quick search on the world wide web and discovered their barnacle covered log was a living, breathing, gastronomic gold mine.

Green and his family who are originally from New Brighton, Merseyside said, "It turns out they are one of the most expensive sea creatures you can buy."

"From looking on Google I think it's about £25 each they go for, and on the log there were probably about 2,000 of them.", he added.

Based on the number of the barnacles attached to the log, estimates on the cost of the entire lot could rack up a stupefying £50,000.

However, don't let the creepy otherworldly characteristics of these creatures put you off. Gooseneck Barnacles are actually quite the delicacy in countries such as Portugal and Spain. These are known in their regions as percebes and are enjoyed lightly boiled in brine and served in their shells. A plate of Gooseneck Barnacles can cost up to £100.

These creatures like to stick themselves onto driftwood as well as the front sections of boats. During the Medieval ages, these were thought to be goose eggs, hence their name. Their shells can grow up to a length of 5cm while their stalks can reach up to a half metre long.

According to Frankie Hobro, the director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, Gooseneck Barnacles are nothing rare. However, they are rarely seen in large quantities on the North Wales coastline but are often washed up on the west and southwest coasts of the UK particularly in the aftermath of stormy weather conditions.