Whale watchers left terrified after creepy ‘blood worm’ washes ashore: ‘Stuff of nightmares’
It’s enough to chill one’s blood.
California whale watchers were left terrified after encountering an undulating blood-red sea creature that looked straight out of a horror flick.
A post detailing this intertidal terror is currently making waves on Instagram.
“What is this creature right out of the Twilight Zone??” inquired the cetacean searchers while describing the creepy-looking creature, which they encountered in Monterey, according to Jam Press.
“We found it just hanging out on our dock this morning and we gently scooped it up with some cardboard and carefully put it back in the water,” one of the whale watchers told the outlet.
Accompanying footage shows the long, undulating marine monster, which has rows of hairlike appendages traversing each side of its body, evoking a monster from “Resident Evil.”
Internet users were understandably freaked out by the find with one commenter dubbing it the “stuff of nightmares.”
“Hey that’s my lower digestive system,” quipped one wit, while another dubbed the animal a “nope rope.”
As it turns out, this martian-looking critter is actually a blood worm, a type of burrowing invertebrate named for its translucent skin that reveals its red body plasma underneath.
This ocean denizen can grow to a foot long and has a venomous proboscis with teeth — which are apparently almost as hard as their human counterparts’ — that shoots out and ensnares prey like the titular xenomorph from the “Alien” series.
Despite the bloodworm’s malevolent countenance, it doesn’t go after humans.
However, experts advise against putting one’s fingers close to its mouth as it could give them a beesting-like bite.
Interestingly, this lure-like appendage is great for attracting fish, which is why anglers often use them as bait.