# Strange thing on the beach...



## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

Does anyone know what this is? We saw it on the beach near Theodolite Creek last week. It looks kind of man-made as though its been moulded in a bottle, but it there is a pippi stuck into the top. It certainly appears natural but it has us stumped.

Cheers,
Jake


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Jake

Have sent the photo to my son's girl who is studying oceanography and so on at uni overseas and might yield a result.

Watch this space :wink:


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWRdPyTMAABXfgAASQIeAEIAFEAo//9+gIACUiKmzUymwxTQj00IabINU9T9KZqn6iaZNHqZNNDQ/VEqF7kNk2FKbx89kNspQ2TB31gF6P37M+GIZEHWDPkZWVBhNrL44PO6PqEoAlliAhXNzaT8YUdfw89NZ1DQjOWOpIDciuyWxoKFbFqvHl+P+np8CjG1yGSK6nwL3VJwmTetwsRQq2zxnCRWJV02tkdch0l/F3JFOFCQF0/JMwA==


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## Phoenix (Jan 12, 2006)

You could take the "thing" to the QLD musean, or even send pics to them or the Australian Musean, perhaps parks & wildlife...

Luck it's not April the 1st, or I'd think you were trying to have us on.


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## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

occy said:


> Does it feel like wax or silicon plastic?


Yes Occy, it felt like silicon.



Phoenix said:


> You could take the "thing" to the QLD musean, or even send pics to them or the Australian Musean, perhaps parks & wildlife...


A good idea, I can send them the photos.

Cheers,
Jake


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## JT (May 25, 2006)

Looks like a claw or a beak on the left end? Certainly doesn't look man made to me...why would man want to make it for a start? Looks like good eating tho :roll:


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

dolphin penis??? :shock:

probably a delicacy in some part of the world......


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## Crayman (Oct 10, 2006)

I don't know 
I have dived for crayfish for a few years and not seen anything like it brfore.
As far as i can see it could be an egg cluster that has been broken off the bottom. Maybe the pippy was the anchor to the bottom.?
Maybe someone will know.
How was the Creek? Many fish caught?


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## Russ (Feb 24, 2006)

Davey G said:


> dolphin penis??? :shock:
> 
> probably a delicacy in some part of the world......


 :shock: Holy sh*t Flipper thats a bloody ripper ???Penis


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

I thinks its french in origin and and is more fun for her than him???!!!!


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## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

I have sent an email to the Australian Museum (http://www.amonline.net.au/) so I shall see what they say.
Regrettably I left out such lucid descriptions as "just like a dolphin's penis". 

Also, just realised this should probably have been an "off-topic" post.  although we were actually on a yak-fishing holiday at the time.

Mind you, knowing the way we are here at AKFF at time it wont be long before this thread becomes an "off" topic.... 8)

Cheers,
Jake


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## JD (Jul 2, 2006)

Might just be a pippi holder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

I got an email back from the Australian Museum. The science people are on to it!

Hi Jake

Thank you for your inquiry, this image has sparked quite an interest here at the Museum. At this stage we are still working through a few options and referring the image to our scientists. We have some question that might help with identification. How big is it? Is it solid, hollow or 'open' at side away from the camera? What did it feel like, spongy, plastic? We would also be interested to know if any other shots were taken.

Any other additional information you can think of can help us identify this object.


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## JT (May 25, 2006)

Well well well....if the boffins don't know what it is straight off the bat then literally anything is possibe. I scoffed at DaveG's Dolphin p*nis thing initially...but now I am thinking it is an after market Dolphin strap on p*nis possibly. Did you notice a strap or belt like device made of kelp nearby at all? The plot thickens........

JT


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## andybear (Jan 15, 2006)

I was going to make some smart arse comment about cells of this organism, whether AAA cells, AA cells or even D cells...... is that how you spell organism?

Dont worry, I wont hit the submit button,

cheers all Andybear :lol:


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## Freckles (Sep 19, 2006)

I was watching tv on Saturday 9/Dec. and saw the exact same "thing" on a program about animals. The "thing" is none other than a cluster of "Cuttlefish eggs". Each small capsule is an individual cuttlfish egg and a tiny cuttlefish all fully formed will emerge from each one. The method of "escaping" from the egg was extremely unique. The tiny animal squirts a drop of acid onto the wall of the egg capsule and the wall is imeadiately broken down making a hole. The hole is more than big enough for the tiny cuttlefish to then escape to the big wide world. The drop of acid is amazing and raises more questions. Eg, why does the acid not affect the tiny cuttlefish? Is the wall of the egg the only material that responds to the acid? What exactly is the acid? And why do it with acid? One day I will ask the Creator about this if I still remember it. Mystery solved, it's a cluster of cuttlefish eggs.

Freckles


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## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

Freckles said:


> Each small capsule is an individual cuttlfish egg


Sorry Freckles, but there were no small capsules. This entire thing was all one piece, it had apertures/holes that went throughout it but it was not composed of many small eggs.



Freckles said:


> Mystery solved, it's a cluster of cuttlefish eggs.


 Sorry, afraid not. I dont what it is though thats for sure.



Freckles said:


> One day I will ask the Creator about this if I still remember it.


 Uh huh... :?

Cheers,
Jake


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## Hairy Little Dwarf (Aug 28, 2006)

I've been manufacturing and throwing hundreds of these things into the sea and always wondered where they were ending up :wink:


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

I know what it is - I saw this on today tonight - I dutch cargo ship from Amsterdam was heading to Bangkok and hit a storm off NZ and capsized spilling its contents off rubber goods destined for PatPong road.


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