THOUSANDS of These Sea Creatures are Washing Up on Texas Beaches

Why are thousands of these sea creatures washing up on our Texas beaches?

Well, as you may be aware they've been talking about an impending alien invasion for a while now, annnnd this looks like an alien to me.

But, no. It is a creature of planet Earth, despite its appearance. Well, it is now, at least. Perhaps aliens flung these into our oceans like intergalactic ninja-throwing stars.

Again, no. These are gray sea stars.

According to the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, THOUSANDS of gray sea stars have been spotted by passersby along our Texas shores recently. In fact, it isn't unusual to see so many of these during this time of year, even though they can be elusive.

How exactly can these sea creatures be considered elusive when thousands of them are on the Gulf of Mexico coastline?

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A story from MySA reports that "Jace Tunnell of the Harte Research Institute said gray sea stars are mainly nocturnal and are active during the evening. During the day, the critters are hiding in the water or sand, making them difficult to find. However, the species tend to wash ashore during the winter after cold fronts push through and create extremely low tides."

Ah. That makes sense.

I was today years-old when I learned gray sea stars can live up to 35 years of age. Furthermore, even though they don't possess blood, or hearts, or brains, they can regenerate limbs when needed.

One of the most fascinating things about gray sea stars is the way they 'walk.' They have tiny little feet under their bodies that enable them to do so, says Tunnell.

Check out this video shared by KHOU11 showing gray sea stars 'walking' on the Texas coastline near Port Aransas, Texas:

I mean, that's incredible to watch. Who needs aliens from outer space when we have something so similar here on Earth right here in Texas?