Today, San Diego locals were puzzled and confused as to what washed up on the northern shores of Torrey Pines. Here, a strange, alien-like creature lay on the sand and had clearly been placed there by the current. It’s no secret that the ocean is filled with lots of obscure creatures that we know little about.

However, despite speculation surrounding this strange-looking thing, there’s actually a very simple explanation. Sometimes in life, things aren’t as bizarre as they first seem. Read on below the image to see what it actually is.

This image was originally shared on a San Diego news Facebook page and understandably, it garnered a lot of attention due to its mysterious nature. It also led to a lot of very wrong assumptions that were wildly off the mark and showed just how easy it is to jump to conclusions.

It turns out that this animal is actually a dead bat ray and if you look online, you can see the similarities. As many species eat bat rays, this would also explain its condition. In short, it may have been eaten by birds and other local animals looking for a meal. Furthermore, as San Diego has its fair share of rays living in its local seas, this also confirms this theory. Sadly for those with an active imagination, this isn’t some kind of unique, undiscovered species from the depths of the ocean.