Cape Town beaches have become the unexpected resting place for various unusual and fascinating sea creatures, animals and other peculiar items.
The Mother City has witnessed its fair share of strange items washing ashore over the years, from giant squids and aardvark to chickens, and even a tender R20 million worth of cocaine has washed up on our beaches.
Also read: Fish Hoek ‘feeding frenzy’ captured on film
Here is a list of some of the strangest things to wash up on our beaches in recent years:
A giant squid washed up on Kommetjie Beach
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Residents enjoying a stroll along Kommetjie Beach discovered the remains of a giant squid.
The carcass of a Bryde’s whale washed ashore on Long Beach, Kommetjie
![](https://www.capetownetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/EfDVN-CWoAYBIu1-1024x768-1-600x450.jpeg)
Beachgoers were warned of increased shark activity in the area after a Bryde’s whale carcass washed up on Long Beach in Kommetjie.
A large manta ray stranded on Bloubergstrand Beach
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A large manta ray washed up on Bloubergstrand Beach and thanks to the efforts of bystanders, it was rescued and returned to the ocean.
A sun fish got stuck on the rocks in Camps Bay
![](https://www.capetownetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/sun-fish-camps-bay-600x400.jpg)
Members of the public rescued the fish before it returned to the rocks, progressively injured and exhausted.
A rare Cuvier’s beaked whale beached at Gansbaai
![](https://www.capetownetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cuvier-whale-1024x576-600x338.jpg)
A group of hikers stumbled upon a rare Cuvier’s beaked whale, hardly ever seen in South African waters, stranded on the beach.
A red rocksucker washed up on the beach in Melkbosstrand
![](https://www.capetownetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rocksucker3-e1679909355743-768x433-600x338.jpg)
A grizzly-looking creature with bright red scales had washed up on the beach.
A female aardvark found on the shore at Sunset Beach, Milnerton
![](https://www.capetownetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_1234-DeNoiseAI-standard-768x432-600x338.png)
Photographers Alex and Juanita Aitkenhead discovered the body of a female African Ant Bear (Aardvark) washed up at Sunset Beach, Milnerton.
A Pygmy sperm whale calf washed ashore on Gordon’s Bay Beach
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A Pygmy sperm whale calf washed ashore on a beach near Hendon Park in Gordon’s Bay shortly after another Pygmy sperm whale washed ashore, this time near Fleur Park. After inspecting the beached whale, it was speculated to be the mother of the previous beached whale, as it measured about 2.5 metres in size.
A dead chicken with its feet bound together was found on Blouberg Beach
![](https://www.capetownetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Dead-chicken-HD-1024x576-1-600x338.jpg)
An unnatural incident of a dead chicken with its feet bound together was found on Blouberg Beach. Many theories circulated, with animal rituals and animal trafficking being the two leading theories.
Dog walker finds cocaine on Jefferys Bay Main Beach
![](https://www.capetownetc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-chdtnbn-1751126-600x333.jpg)
On a casual walk along the beach at Jefferys Bay Main Beach, a dog walker stumbled upon R20 million worth of cocaine that had washed out of the ocean.
These are just a handful of marine life that have been swept ashore on our beaches, representing merely a fraction of the fascinating and peculiar creatures that inhabit the oceans.
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Also read:
Look! Cape Town photographer captures the “biggest great white shark I have ever seen”