Singapore fisherman Ong Han Boon reeled in some doozies in his day, but nothing prepared him for the shocking discovery he made recently. The animal, with its writhing arms, looks like it came straight from a sci-fi flick.
Actually, it came from the dark depths of the ocean, where humans rarely go.
Boon told his local radio station he was “totally flummoxed” when the fish surfaced.
share
Unsure about what it was, Boon’s first thought was that he “discovered a new species of mutant sea creature.”
share
Although it isn’t quite an otherworldly creature, Boon said he wouldn’t have been surprised because of how polluted the waters are.
share
I would probably scream if I reeled in one of these things…
The fisherman later learned with the help of the Internet that the creature was a basket starfish. They typically live in deep sea environments and can have life spans of up to 35 years.
(H/T: New York Post.)
Basket starfish are the largest of their species, with arms able to grow as long as 70 cm. There’s no word on what it was doing so far from its home, but it definitely made this fisherman’s day more interesting.
