‘Furry Creature’ With Iridescent Fringe Turns up on a Beach (Video)

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A chunky marine worm with “shimmering, iridescent fringe” washed up on a beach in the U.K., and experts say it’s something called a sea mouse. The bizarre animal turned up at the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, and then the reserve shared a video of the sea mouse moving (and burying itself in the sand) on its Facebook page.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve says elusive sea mice are about 6 inches long. During the winter season, storms sometimes wash these strange animals up to shore, but it’s still a rare find.

“Look closely among its duller bristles to see a shimmering, iridescent fringe,” Rye Harbour wrote in its Facebook post sharing the video. “The Sea Mouse uses ‘photonic engineering’, a technology we’re only just getting to grips with. The bristles . . . reflect light in a certain way, and . . . this colourful display deters predators on the dark seabed.”

Watch footage of the sea mouse here:

Header image is a screenshot from the video by Barry Yates via the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.