by Scott Gustin
A strange creature that washed ashore on Folly Beach in South Carolina this past weekend has been identified.
The odd, greenish creature was unlike anything locals had ever seen before when it washed up just south of Charleston on Friday.
Live 5 News posted the image on Facebook, which prompted many to question the type of creature.
Dr. Shane Boylan, a veterinarian at the South Carolina Aquarium (SCA), saw a photograph of the beast and quickly identified it as a sturgeon.
Boyland said the body shape and bone plates along the side gave it away. He said the strange colors are likely evidence of rotting, or what Boylan called a “necrotic tan.”
The sturgeon is one of the oldest families of bony fish in existence. According to Wikipedia, the sturgeons are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America.
They are distinctive for their elongated bodies, lack of scales and occasional great size.
