Hundreds of strange and colorful marine critters washing ashore on several Australian beaches have perplexed experts.
The stranded seadragons were discovered on beaches in New South Wales, including Cronulla, Malabar, and the Central Coast.
Following weeks of record rains, photographs of an increased number of dead marine fish have circulated.
Since then, experts have expressed their worry and proposed explanations as to why the number of wash-ups has risen to ten times the usual.
Betty Ratcliffe, a beachgoer, told The Sydney Morning Herald that she spotted seven seadragons in a week.
“The first one I discovered had recently died; it was so brilliant, with orange, yellow, and purple,” she explained. Over the following few days, I discovered more and more.”
According to Dr David Booth, professor of marine ecology at the University of Technology Sydney, around 20 seadragons have been discovered on Sydney beaches in the last two weeks.
While it is prohibited to handle seadragon remains, people who have discovered the beached aquatic creatures have informed Dr Booth of their discovery.
Because many of the creatures have yet to be reported, the professor believes there are more than 50 of them.
He stated: “I’ve never seen more than one washing ashore. ‘My God, what’s going on?’ I thought. It’s probably around ten times the typical rate of wash-ups.”
Dr. Booth described weedy seadragons as “tough little devils” because of their capacity to survive approximately 10 metres below the surface as “homebodies” that cling to kelp in strong currents, moving no more than 20 to 50 metres throughout their lives.
Dr. Booth believes the frequency of seadragon wash-ups has grown as a result of a “combination of startling weather, toxins dumped into the ocean, and large surf.”
The lecturer emphasized the contaminants that have been churned up to such an extent that storms have harmed more than just the ordinary top three metres of water.
While the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species classified weedy seadragons as ‘least concern’ in 2017, there has been a decrease in sightings of the sea critters in recent years.
“There used to be seven to eight you’d see on a dive at Kurnell, Botany Bay; today there’s two to three,” Dr Booth reminisced.
Climate change is also threatening seadragons’ native kelp habitats.
Dr Booth emphasized the necessity of keeping track of washed-up seadragons, especially because this “kind of storm” is becoming more common.
If you spot an animal in danger or in need of assistance, call the RSPCA’s 24-hour animal cruelty line at 0300 1234 999 or visit their website for further information.