Dozens of octopuses spotted crawling out of the sea in bizarre spectacle along Welsh coast

Dozens of octopuses were seen crawling out of the sea on the Welsh coast in a bizarre phenomenon that has mystified experts.

Brett Stones, who operates a local guided sea trip, spotted more than 20 of the creatures making their way on to the beach at New Quay on Friday night.

He caught the spectacle on camera and filmed some of the animals slithering along the dry land.

Mr Stones, who runs SeaMor Dolphin Watching Boat Trips, said he collected up some of them and returned them to the water.

But others were still found dead on the sand on Saturday.

The exact reason for the sudden change in behaviour is not known, but Mr Stones suggested it could have been caused by the recent storms over the UK which sparked rough seas.

“They were coming out of the water and crawling up the beach. We don’t quite know what’s causing it," Mr Stones told Wales Online.

“Perhaps it’s because the sea has been quite rough recently but I’ve never seen anything like it before. They were walking on the tips of their legs.

“A friend of mine said it happened the night before and there was about 20 last night.”