Video: Mystery 'alien-like creature' seen in Bristol harbour - Telegraph
"There is a possibility that it is a special type of jellyfish or a marine salp. It's very unusual and I haven't really seen anything like it before though.
"What makes it even more unusual is that fact that it showed up in the middle of a really busy area.
"There are various marine animals that have biological illuminating abilities and they are able to make themselves flash.
"It is entirely possible that it is a marine creature which has been brought into the harbour because of the storms or maybe it was trying to shelter from the stormy seas.
"We are currently experiencing spring tides too which may have dragged whatever this is in from the sea.
"This is either a very interesting animal or someone's very cool interpretation of a marine creature.
"It looks really cool - it's incredible. I don't know if it will make a return tonight but I'm sure if it does it will be met by an eager crowd."
It is not known what the creature was and whether it was alive or not.
Dozens of people were left mystified after spotting the creature and capturing it on camera.
Alex Gordon-Lennox, 22, said: "It was just floating down the harbour. I've never seen anything like it before.
"I only noticed it because it was flashing and was so bright. I was out with some friends that night so we watched it travel down the water a bit and then it just seemed to disappear.
"It looked a bit like a jellyfish or a squid or something. It was amazing."
Andrew Spooner, a software engineer from Bristol, tweeted a photo on Tuesday night and wrote: "Some weird craziness swimming around in #bristol harbour. Looks alien..."
He said: "The creature looked very organic, and it moved fluidly through the water as if it were a creature rather than say a machine that someone had made to look like Jellyfish.
He added: "I had just been for dinner with a few friends when I saw a group of about a dozen people huddling next to the waters edge.
"When I wondered over, I saw the glowing creature which was pulsating and after about 20 seconds, it stopped glowing and disappeared."
What could it be?
A rare type of marine salp: these are barrel-shaped marine animals which feed on algae and form into long chains with other salps. They look very primitive, like jellyfishes, but their biological make-up is actually closer to fish and vertebrates.
A jellyfish: there are a huge number of different jellyfish species across the globe, many of which carry luminescent and fluorescent genes
An alien: a number of passers-by who spotted the squid-like creature likened it to a creature from another world
An art installation: some marine biologists are unconvinced the ‘creature’ seen in the harbour was a living thing. The curator of the Bristol Aquarium, Daniel De Castro, said he believed it was “entirely artificial”.
A Banksy work: some people have suggested that Bristol street art legend Banksy might be behind the mystery sighting. Despite conceding it might a marine creature, Dr Steve Simpson, senior lecturer in Biosciences at the University of Exeter, said: “I’m still waiting for Banksy to own up.”
A prank: someone thought it would be entertaining to get tongues wagging about an alien invasion in Bristol but, if it was a prankster, they have done a very professional job. Mr Di Castro said: “It’s really clever the way they’ve done it.”
"There is a possibility that it is a special type of jellyfish or a marine salp. It's very unusual and I haven't really seen anything like it before though.
"What makes it even more unusual is that fact that it showed up in the middle of a really busy area.
"There are various marine animals that have biological illuminating abilities and they are able to make themselves flash.
"It is entirely possible that it is a marine creature which has been brought into the harbour because of the storms or maybe it was trying to shelter from the stormy seas.
"We are currently experiencing spring tides too which may have dragged whatever this is in from the sea.
"This is either a very interesting animal or someone's very cool interpretation of a marine creature.
"It looks really cool - it's incredible. I don't know if it will make a return tonight but I'm sure if it does it will be met by an eager crowd."
It is not known what the creature was and whether it was alive or not.
Dozens of people were left mystified after spotting the creature and capturing it on camera.
Alex Gordon-Lennox, 22, said: "It was just floating down the harbour. I've never seen anything like it before.
"I only noticed it because it was flashing and was so bright. I was out with some friends that night so we watched it travel down the water a bit and then it just seemed to disappear.
"It looked a bit like a jellyfish or a squid or something. It was amazing."
Andrew Spooner, a software engineer from Bristol, tweeted a photo on Tuesday night and wrote: "Some weird craziness swimming around in #bristol harbour. Looks alien..."
He said: "The creature looked very organic, and it moved fluidly through the water as if it were a creature rather than say a machine that someone had made to look like Jellyfish.
He added: "I had just been for dinner with a few friends when I saw a group of about a dozen people huddling next to the waters edge.
"When I wondered over, I saw the glowing creature which was pulsating and after about 20 seconds, it stopped glowing and disappeared."
What could it be?
A rare type of marine salp: these are barrel-shaped marine animals which feed on algae and form into long chains with other salps. They look very primitive, like jellyfishes, but their biological make-up is actually closer to fish and vertebrates.
A jellyfish: there are a huge number of different jellyfish species across the globe, many of which carry luminescent and fluorescent genes
An alien: a number of passers-by who spotted the squid-like creature likened it to a creature from another world
An art installation: some marine biologists are unconvinced the ‘creature’ seen in the harbour was a living thing. The curator of the Bristol Aquarium, Daniel De Castro, said he believed it was “entirely artificial”.
A Banksy work: some people have suggested that Bristol street art legend Banksy might be behind the mystery sighting. Despite conceding it might a marine creature, Dr Steve Simpson, senior lecturer in Biosciences at the University of Exeter, said: “I’m still waiting for Banksy to own up.”
A prank: someone thought it would be entertaining to get tongues wagging about an alien invasion in Bristol but, if it was a prankster, they have done a very professional job. Mr Di Castro said: “It’s really clever the way they’ve done it.”
