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Thousands of odd-looking little sea creatures have washed up on a beach in west Wales after the recent stormy weather.

The slug-like shelled creatures washed ashore on Cefn Sidan beach in Pembrey this morning - February 19.

Staff at the country park were conducting their daily beach check when they saw thousands of the little things as far as the eye could see.

(Image: Carmarthenshire Council)

(Image: Carmarthenshire Council)

Workers at the park said they had never seen them appear before. Beach-goers also spotted a similar sight on the coast of neighbouring Burry Port.

The tiny shell species are actually lutraria lutraria, known commonly as otter shells and are part of the mollusc family.

All the weird and wonderful things that have washed up on Cefn Sidan beach in the past:

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The marine animals usually live buried deep in the sand but the affect of Storm Dennis is thought to have most likely washed them ashore.

They are normally found buried in the sands around north west Europe from around Norway to the Mediterranean Sea and West Africa, and can even be eaten. They spend their lives in one spot and the foot is used to anchor them to that spot.

However, the creatures are far from the only things to have washed up on Welsh beaches recently.

Last week a huge, mystery skeleton washed ashore on Gower beach and last month a 12-foot whale washed up on a beach in Llanmadoc.

A spokesperson for Pembrey Country Park said: "We are aware of thousands of lutraria lutraria, common otter shells, that have appeared on Cefn Sidan Beach. This is a result of the recent storms. It is likely that the off-shore sandbanks that they inhabited has been washed away."

The Marine Conservation Society confirmed that the creatures were otter shells and that the storm had most likely uncovered them and washed them up.