Storm Surge Washes Tiny Sea Creatures Onto Shore in Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Nobody in Maine asked for an April nor'easter, but it happened anyway. So many felt the effects afterward, from tree and branch cleanup to days without power. But if you happened to make your way to Old Orchard Beach the weekend after the storm, there were a pair of rarities staring you right in the face.

Like several beaches across coastal communities in Maine, the powerful storm surge from the nor'easter left behind some treasures on beaches. Old Orchard Beach in particular was covered in clams. It's not the first time that's happened in OOB, and it likely won't be the last.

For those that walked the clam-covered beach, there was another creature mixed among the mollusks. A smallish, slimy-looking thing with a pink hue as seen in this photo shared by Lynn Mooney. The commenters in the Old Orchard Beach group on Facebook ranged in their thoughts on what exactly the creature might be.

At first glance, some suggested that the small creatures could be sea slugs. Further down the comment roll, another person suggested it could be alien life in its most docile form.

But to many, it looked like burrowing sea cucumbers that had been disrupted thanks to the rough storm surge. According to Seaside Aquarium, there's plenty of evidence to support that argument, as it's happened at beaches around the world many times thanks to strong storms.

According to Maine.gov, there are four different species of sea cucumber that can be found in the Pine Tree state. The burrowing sea cucumber is not the species that is wildly valuable as a delicacy in other parts of the world.