Dozens of bizarre and vibrant creatures have washed up on Australian beaches following weeks of record rainfall. Experts have been left stunned by the dead marine fish as pictures emerge of their unusual presence across seafronts in New South Wales.
The weedy seadragons have been spotted in Cronulla, Malabar and the Central Coast and they are thought to be 10 times the amount of normal wash-ups to hit the beaches. Dr David Booth, professor of marine ecology at the University of Technology Sydney told the Sydney Morning Herald:
“Clearly it’s a result of some combination of the shocking weather, pollutants being washed into the ocean and big surf.” They can often be found in Australian waters and it is unusual for them to stray so far away from home, with adults being estimated to only move a mere 50-500 meters away from where they were given life.
“This can make them susceptible to loss of habitat and changing environmental factors,” added lead investigator Dr. Selma Klanten. The professor predicts that there are likely over 50 of the animals because of many not having yet been reported. He said: “I’ve only ever seen one washed up.
It was like, ‘My god, what’s happening?’ I reckon it’s about 10 times the normal rate of wash-ups.” Dr. Booth explained how weedy seadragons are ‘tough little devils’ in their ability to live around 10 meters below the surface as ‘homebodies’ who cling to kelp in strong currents, straying from their patch no further than 20 to 50 meters in their whole lifetime.
