# Identify this weird beach blob, please. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496 "2010-08-26T04:35:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/1 "2010-08-26T04:35:50Z")
I should’ve taken a photo, but I did not. We were in Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver) at low tide, wandering the beaches. We came across a few blobby weird things. After many requests of my companion to “touch it!!”, he did. Seemed safe enough so I touched it, too. As far as I can tell they were as follows: - a pale, transparent orange colour - spherical, but not stiff enough to maintain a solid sphere shape - squishy, like Jell-O - between three and five inches in diameter - completey homogenous with no noticeable pores, internal structures or markings We speculated that they might be some kind of colony organisms, or some kind of weird jellyfish, or some kind of eggs or mounds of eggs. Googling “orange gelatinous beach blobs” didn’t help much. ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/2 "2010-08-26T04:52:30Z")
Upon reviewing this post, my companion says, “I didn’t think it was homogenous; I thought it had a pore-y pattern on the outside even if it felt solid.” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/3 "2010-08-26T05:00:16Z")
Most likely an alien life form. Or a jellyfish of some type. Out of the water the tenatacles may shrivel up and tuck in. Was it alive? ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/4 "2010-08-26T05:03:20Z")
I don’t think so. If it was, it didn’t respond when poked. But since it was pretty featureless, it’s hard to say how it would’ve responded. It was also on the sand and not in the water with no notable way of getting itself to the water. I didn’t really think it was an animal, but maybe a piece of an animal. Or many tiny animals. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/5 "2010-08-26T05:50:24Z")
I’m going to guess it’s an egg case from a giant snail. That’s what [this](http://s38.photobucket.com/albums/e130/theevilwriter/Plumb%20Island/?action=view¤t=SANY0296.jpg) was, and it had a pattern on it that looked a lot like the ones you find on nerf footballs. The OP’s sounds more like [this one](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://deweesisland.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/img_51251.jpg&imgrefurl=http://deweesisland.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/giant-tun-shell-exploration-solves-earlier-beachcombing-mystery/&usg=__Qjq44y8SDPL1YqNayoX6P9S8EpM=&h=2336&w=3504&sz=3246&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=2D0e0ly9GmKBMM:&tbnh=134&tbnw=187&prev=/images%3Fq%3Degg%2Bcase%2Bfrom%2Ba%2Bgiant%2Bsnail%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1099%26bih%3D554%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=239&ei=VQB2TJXzAsP78AaO_ciYBg&oei=SgB2TOfAL4KC8gboxLz5BQ&esq=4&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0&tx=132&ty=67) than the one I found. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/6 "2010-08-26T05:53:50Z")
At least you didn’t find a left foot, still clad in a waterlogged running shoe. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/7 "2010-08-26T05:55:11Z")
Well based on all the information you’ve provided, I’ll stick with alien life form or jelly fish. Maybe locals will recognize it as something else. Maybe you could draw a picture. The hand drawn pictures of UFOs are always remarkably accurate. Or see if might be[this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysaora_fuscescens). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/8 "2010-08-26T05:58:13Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > At least you didn’t find a left foot, still clad in a waterlogged running shoe. Ha HA! Maybe it WAS a left foot at some point in its history! And, I mis-read the title as “Identify this weird bleach blob, please” and my response was going to be Heidi Montag. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/9 "2010-08-26T07:06:51Z")
[This is the first thing I thought of](http://ericblackmon.blogspot.com/2008/09/walk-down-beach.html), but presumably you’d be familiar with seaweed. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/10 "2010-08-26T07:09:27Z")
Occam’s jellyfish. ---
**Author:** ![pipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c2a13f/32.png) [@pipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pipper)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/11 "2010-08-26T13:20:57Z")
Sounds like Sea Pork. _Aplidium stellatum_, a type of tunicate. Take a look here for one example: [Lucky Dog News - home to The Island Eye News and Island Connection - Lucky Dog News](http://islandconnectionnews.com/?p=1311) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/12 "2010-08-26T15:04:44Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Occam’s jellyfish. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/13 "2010-08-26T15:11:08Z")
I don’t think it’s any of the things listed so far. The case that **elfkin477** posted was sort of right on for colour, but these things were definitely very round. Thanks to **Cat Whisperer** for making me think of Heidi Montag, because they looked exactly like orange breast implants abandoned all over the beach. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/14 "2010-08-26T15:26:35Z")
Despite the distinct possibility of alien invaders, I think you got yerself a jelly. > **[Chrysaora](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_nettle)** > > See text > Chrysaora (/ˈkraɪseɪˌɔːrə/) is a genus of jellyfish, commonly called the sea nettles, in the family Pelagiidae. The origin of the genus name Chrysaora lies in Greek mythology with Chrysaor, brother of Pegasus and son of Poseidon and Medusa. Translated, Chrysaor means "he who has a golden armament." > There are 16 recognized species in the genus Chrysaora: Not all jellyfish have long, flowing tentacles, and it’s possible to swim among and handle many species. Not sure right now what species you have, but do some searching on Pacific jellies and see if you don’t spot an orange one or two! ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/15 "2010-08-26T15:36:32Z")
Whale spooge? ---
**Author:** ![pipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c2a13f/32.png) [@pipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pipper)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/16 "2010-08-26T15:45:52Z")
Was is actually as jiggly as jello, or was it firmer, sort of like a ruber ball? You can also try asking the guy that runs this blog: [http://cephalopodcast.com/](http://cephalopodcast.com/) ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/17 "2010-08-26T15:55:59Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Occam’s jellyfish. Thanks for the morning laugh. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/18 "2010-08-26T16:59:09Z")
I have seen the gel from disposable diapers washed up on shore that looked a lot like your description. Could it be that? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/19 "2010-08-26T17:18:09Z")
The word is _homogen **e** ous_, not _homogenous_. ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-weird-beach-blob-please/551496/20 "2010-08-26T17:44:31Z")
> [@pipper](#): > > Was is actually as jiggly as jello, or was it firmer, sort of like a ruber ball? I would say it was actually as jiggly as Jell-O. It held together pretty well, but not as well as a solid ball would. If I tried, I could rip it apart pretty easily. Thanks for your suggestion about the blog, though. I will try that. > [@Diver](#): > > I have seen the gel from disposable diapers washed up on shore that looked a lot like your description. Could it be that? I didn’t know what that looked like, so I Googled it. That seems too crystallized, whereas this was actually a jelly-like thing. I’m not sure if it is/was alive or part of a living thing or just a weird piece of sea garbage.