That's not fiberglass washing up on area beaches, it's actually an odd-looking animal known as a sea butterfly.
Sea butterflies are actually small swimming sea snails, according to Earth Archives, and are typically found in the open ocean. However, sometimes the tode can bring large clusters closer to the shoreline which is exactly what's happening along several First Coast beaches.
Over the weekend, Naval Station Mayport posted a photo of a cluster of the particular species that washed ashore.
"It was confirmed that the material on the Naval Station Mayport beach are sea butterflies.... they are not toxic, poisonous, nor venomous; however, they are very sharp and can irritate the skin," said Naval Station Mayport on Facebook.
So keep an eye out when enjoying the beach this summer. Sea butterflies don't fly and they're not pretty, but these tiny creatures can hurt.
