SQUID eggs and spider crabs have been spotted washed up on Rhyl Beach.
Mark Roberts saw the creatures while on a dog walk along the seafront on both May 21 and 22.
He first noticed squid eggs at about 12pm on Sunday (May 21), near Rhyl Golf Club, on the bay between Splash Point and the Ffrith.
At about 8.30pm last night (May 22), Mark then found more crabs opposite the old Marine Hotel apartments.
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Anglesey Sea Zoo confirmed that Mark had come across squid eggs and spider crabs after being sent photographs which he took of them.
Mark said: “I saw more squid eggs on the beach last night when walking the dogs. Loads of dead crabs were washed up too, including big spider crabs.
“My dogs were eating some of them before I could call them away, and were both throwing up last night, so it might be worth telling people to stop their dogs snacking on the free seafood!
“It would be interesting to find out why so many crabs and shellfish are washed up at the moment; was there a big storm out at sea?
“It’s unusual to see these egg cases, too.”
Frankie Hobro, director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, explained that these spiny spider crabs are, in fact, the largest species of British crab and are particularly common offshore.
The sea zoo itself has many of them in its displays.
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She said: “Crabs, like all other crustaceans, have to moult their shell to keep growing, so finding a crab shell does not mean that there is a dead crab.
“In fact, on occasions when there are mass moults, which is common among spider crabs, then thousands of shells can be washed up all at once on beaches.
“This is a positive sign, as it shows there are thousands of spider crabs out there growing and breeding.
“We have had reports of this several times over the last couple of summers quite locally; beaches being covered by thousands of spiny spider crab moults.”
Frankie added that, while people are often concerned that this represents a mass die-off, it is, in fact quite the opposite, and a positive sign.
She added: “Squid eggs are laid attached to objects out at sea, but they can also be attached to flotsam and jetsam, and can be dislodged by currents and washed ashore into our beaches as an egg mass like this one.
“Unfortunately, when found washed up like this, the eggs will not hatch.
“But as squid are not rare, then finding eggs washed up like these is nothing to be concerned about - and they will provide a feast for the first passing seagull
“They are quite amazing-looking things though; almost like alien beings! So it’s not surprising that people are curious to know what they are when they find them.”
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