A rare purple sea creature turned heads once again after an author stumbled upon one on a San Diego beach.
Writer and podcaster Greta Eskridge (@greta.eskridge) shared several pictures and videos of a wild-looking purple animal called a sea pansy to her Instagram account in March.
The video put the sea pansy’s distinctive purple stem and yellow edge on full display. It also showed off the animal’s backside, consisting of tubes that secrete a mucus to capture plankton, per the post’s caption.
The Miami Herald added context to Eskridge’s discovery. It’s certainly not the first time that it stopped beachgoers in their tracks.
A 2024 Instagram post by Aloha Tours San Diego (@aloha.tourssd) similarly celebrated a run-in with one.
“We were calling it an ‘alien mushroom from the sea,’” the post’s caption noted.
Indeed, sea pansies’ looks can betray the fact that they are actually marine animals related to jellyfish and sea anemones and not plants. They come in colors ranging from the purple that Eskridge observed to pale pink, per the Herald.
Despite the fact that the animals hang out in shallow water, beachgoers are only likely to see them during the day in the wake of stormy weather or during a very low tide. Otherwise, they might be hiding while partially buried and looking to capture plankton.
At night, the Herald noted they are more active. That also might be the best time to spot them.
As Eskridge pointed out, they are bioluminescent. That translates to a green glow that big waves and stormy water can make even more dramatic.
While San Diego was the discovery area of the two examples here, they’re lurking in warm water throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Commenters were excited.
“I’ve never seen or heard of it before. What a cool treasure you found,” one wrote.
“Isn’t nature amazing??!!” another marveled. “I can’t imagine a day not seeing or learning something new.”
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.