Woman in disbelief as 'piece of plastic' on the ground is actually shark egg
Our world is full of natural wonders, some we've discovered and others we've yet to find. But not everyone is well-versed on all of the spectacular creatures that roam our oceans - and with good reason.
The MarineBio Conservation Society estimates there are at least 750,000 marine species sharing our world. But there could be up to as many as 25 million.
Nonetheless, most humans know a thing or two about sharks, those scary predators that feature in film after film. It turns out many of us have lots to learn, however.
Social media users have been left mind-blown after discovering what a shark egg looks like.
One video - which includes a close-up shot of an egg found in California - has even amassed 20 million views.
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The viral clip was shared by @california.shelling, who regularly shares her finds in tide pools and teaches people how to care for wildlife.
As she explains, the brown corkscrew-shaped material she spots on the sand is something very special. Rather than plastic or glass, as viewers speculated it might be, the find was in fact an 'egg casing' with an embryo inside.
"Some sharks give birth to live young, and others are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs. California horn sharks mothers lay these corkscrew egg cases," she explained.
Carefully handling the egg, which she identified as a horn shark's, she explained the casing is soft to the touch.
"It looks like glass, I know, but they are actually soft. The case itself is pretty squishy," she added before confirming she would not attempt to squish the casing.
She did, however, hold it up the light to reveal the small embryo inside.
The nature enthusiast added: "It comes out in this corkscrew shape out of the California horn shark and usually what the mum will try to do is wedge it into some rocks so that it hopefully stays in place. Obviously, it didn't work, it landed here on the shore."
As she concluded her video, she searched the tide pools to find a suitable place to leave the casing she'd first found higher up on the beach.
In response, thousands of stunned viewers were quick to share their shock.
One wrote: "Wait. How have I gone my entire life without knowing this is what shark eggs look like? I feel like this should have been a key piece of knowledge."
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A second said: "Nature is wild. Would've never guessed that was an egg."
"I didn't believe this was an egg until you showed the embryo omg," another revealed. And someone commented: "You're holding a shark! Mind blown."
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