A CONSTELLATION of starfish found washed up in their thousands has stunned Penrhyn Bay residents.
The echinoderms were found by Lorraine Francis, who spotted the strange sight while she was walking her dog.
She said: "I walk the dog at about 4pm on Penrhyn Bay beach. The tide was out quite far and covered all over the beach were these strange large patches. When I got closer I could see they were starfish. The dog was very interested in them.
"A lot of seagulls were around feeding on them. A lot were dead but some in pools of water were still alive."
Ms Francis confirmed she had never seen so many starfish before in her life.
She added: "You sometimes see the odd starfish or the occasional jellyfish, but I've never seen anything like that before anywhere. It was so strange."
According to Professor Mike Kaiser, from the School of Ocean Science at Bangor University, starfish can often be seen in large numbers on beaches when it gets quite cold.
He said: "Strandings of starfish in the winter are not uncommon. This is probably a combination of a very low tide and the cold, the latter making the starfish torpid and less likely to move into deeper water where they should be.
"Starfish are known to form into large swarms from time to time and this looks like a feeding belt of starfish drawn to the abundant shellfish upon which they feed."
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Did you see the starfish on Penrhyn Bay beach? Or have you witnessed any other odd marine phenomenon? Tell us by commenint below.