These Tiny, Freaky Sea Creatures Ate the Skin Off a Teenager’s Legs in the Ocean

An Australian teenager made a grisly discovery this weekend when a cloud of mysterious, tiny sea creatures attacked and ate the skin off his lower legs. Sea lice might have been the culprit, but if so, it was a very large amount of very hungry sea lice.

According to The Guardian, 16-year-old Sam Kanizay decided to soak his legs in the water at Dendy Street beach in Brighton over the weekend. When he got out, it looked like he had wet sand clustered all over his lower legs, so he went back in the water to wash it off. His legs started bleeding profusely when he wiped the “sand” off.

The bleeding was so bad Kanizay’s father had to take him to the hospital. Not a whole lot can shock emergency room staff in an Australian hospital, but staff were bewildered. Nobody could figure out exactly what attacked him.

https://twitter.com/peterkrupa/status/894382023745445888

Mystery sea creatures that experts think might be sea lice.

“No one knows what the creatures are. They’ve called a number of people, whether it’s toxicity experts or marine exerts and other medics around Melbourne at least,” Kanizay’s father said.

The culprit was most likely some sort of tiny sea creature. Sea lice are common, but they mostly eat fish. When sea lice bite people, it usually just looks like a pinprick. Kanizay’s legs poured blood after the attack.

Marine biologists say if there were a large number of dead fish in the water, that could be the source of an abnormally large population of sea lice.

Kanizay’s father went to the area with a bag of meat. He found tiny creatures that swarmed to the steak. He caught them in a pool net and brought them home to make a video.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=21&v=iJhV_K_geNE]

“What is clear is these little things really love meat,” he said.

That is so freaky. Those aren’t necessarily what attacked Kanizay at the beach. A lot of things will show up if you throw meat in the ocean. But does anyone else feel itchy now? I feel super itchy.

Kanizay is expected to recover just fine. Australia might be full of deadly snakes and spiders, and flesh-eating sea bugs, but they also have very good healthcare. So Kanizay will be well taken care of.

Sea lice exist all over the world. They are not just an Australia thing.

Are you ever going back in the water again? Let us know in the comments.

(Image: YouTube / Storyful News)

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