Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
This spooky lost doll has been dubbed ‘Chucky’ – after the hit Hollywood movie series – after it was found washed up on a Spanish beach covered in marine worms.
Local resident Isabel Rubio found the child’s doll while collecting shells in Los Alcazares in the south-eastern Spanish region of Murcia.
She told local media: “I was looking for shells when I came across this, it shocked me at first.”
Rubio took the doll to the marine department at the University of Alicante where biologist Francisca Gimenez dubbed it ‘Chucky’ from the Child’s Play slasher film franchise.
The doll was analysed in the lab where it was confirmed it had around 4,000 Hydroides elegans, a species of tube-forming serpulid worms.
The worms are considered an invasive species that often stick to boats and causes blockages in sea pipes.
The biologist believes that ‘Chucky’ ended up in the ocean two to three months ago during floods caused by the cold front that battered the region at the end of last year.
Gimenez told local media: “It is the first time we have seen such massive presence of this worm.
“The worms are considered an invasive species in many places as they grow quickly in areas with a large concentration of bacteria, such as when the floods caused the death of many fish.”
However, she added that the species’ appearance could have a positive effect in the area’s waters as they feed on bacteria.
The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
