Every year, strange and surprising things wash ashore on the beaches across the world, leaving humans astounded by the secrets of the ocean, and how little we know of the marine life residing in the seas. Here are some of the weirdest and strangest creatures that washed ashore in the year 2021.

PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay. Millions of jellyfish end up on shores each year due to changing wind directions.

Millions of Sailor Jellyfish

Millions of Velella velella, or the sailor jellyfish, end up on beaches around the world. These jellyfish are floating on the top of the ocean when the sail on their backs catches the wind and pushes them towards the ground. As the wind changes directions, millions of these jellyfish end up stranded on shores across the world.

wolfganglucht/Pixabay. A killer whale ended up on a Scottish beach in January 2021.

Killer Whale

In January 2021, a young killer whale was stranded on a Scottish beach where it was luckily rescued. Medics from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue carried out the rescue operation, along with help of some locals. The 11-feet long orca was lifted by the help of eight people to determine whether it was old and healthy enough to survive on its own before ebing gently placed in the water, where it swam away, never to be seen again.

12019/Pixabay. The truck-sized basking shark washed ashore the Bremen.

A Male Basking Shark

A huge, male basking shark the size of a truck washed ashore on the Bremen coast, in Maine, in January 2021. The basking shark is the second-largest fish in the world and lives only in warm water. These are gentle giants and pose no harm to humans. After the basking shark ended up on the Maine coastline, the local fishermen helped pick up it’s 26-feet long, truck-sized body. Sadly, however, the male shark could not be saved.

Colorful Sea Whip

In 2021, a certain type of coral ended up on a Texas beach. Looking like a pile of tangled ropes, this coral is called the sea whip and its enchanting colors are the result of colonies of coral polyps, which give them vibrant colors like bright oranges, yellows, lavender, and violet. A National park Service guide found the bundle of ropes, which was half-buried in the sand, near the Mexican Gulf. She shared its image on Facebook where many commentators identified it as a colorful sea whip. Many people also were surprised at this revelation since they had always thought that the bundle of ropes was trash from the sea when in reality, it was actually a beautiful creature of nature.