Update 2/6/14: An identification expert from the Natural History Museum in London revealed that the "creature" was probably the head of a tongue-eating louse. Known as Cymothoa exigua, the parasitic louse lives inside a fish, entering through its gills and attaching itself to the host's tongue. However, follwing an investigation, tuna company Princes said lab results show the creature to be a very small, immature crab, known as "Megalopa." Either way, Princes apologizes for the mishap and says the animal "represents no food safety risk."

Imagine opening up a can of food for lunch, and you notice something alien-like inside... looking right at you. Scared yet? Well, that's exactly what happened to Zoe Butler, 28, from the U.K.

Almost immediately after opening up some Princes tuna, Butler spotted a "sea creature" she knew wasn't supposed to be in her food. "I opened the top of the lid and saw a purple-y thing, a gut sack or intestine — then I turned it round and pushed it with a fork and saw it looking back at me… It's got like a spiny tail along the bottom," she told the Nottingham Post.

She then (as anyone else would) screamed in horror. She eventually contacted the company, sending them images of the animal, which is thought to be a type of crab. They quickly responded and apologized. Since she kept the creature as evidence, she will send the can (and the critter) to Princes so they can investigate what happened.

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What is THIS? Mum makes a very odd discovery in her can of tuna: http://t.co/Hhy1EON5Bj pic.twitter.com/2h4Q73yVSZ — NottinghamshireLive (@nottslive) January 22, 2015

Butler says she's not looking for any form of payment or a lifetime supply of tuna. "I just want to find out what it is and to make sure it doesn't happen to somebody else."

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This story originally appeared on WomansDay.com

More from Woman's Day:

• 10 Strange Objects Found in Food

• Shocking Ingredients in Your Favorite Foods

• 10 Daring Global Delicacies

[via TheBlaze.com

Marlisse Cepeda Web Editor Marlisse is the Web Editor of WomansDay.com, and she hails from Bronx, NY.

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