VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Floridians are used to many things washing ashore from the beaches, but not octopus.
That is exactly what happened Wednesday morning when a 53-inch long octopus washed up in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, said Michael Brothers with the Volusia County Marine Science Center. Originally, some thought the octopus was a “sexy” squid.
Tremoctopus or Blanket Octopus is the scientific term for the octopus and it lives in surface waters of tropical and subtropical oceans, officials said.
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Eyewitness News reported earlier this week that beachgoers saw fiberglass wash ashore. It was really sea pansies and shells from sea butterflies.
Winds are pushing the warm water away from the beach and that allows cold water to move to shore and bring the species to the beach, officials said.