It looks like ‘pasta’ is blanketing Florida beach — but experts have real explanation

All manner of oddities wash up on Florida’s beaches, but imagine tons of pasta rolling ashore on a hot summer day.

Something that looked just like that happened on Florida’s Gulf Coast when Pinellas County Environmental News reported June 28 a strange “white material” was discovered spread along the high tide line.

Photos show it appeared to be a cross between spaghetti and “broken vermicelli,” leading social media commenters to suggest “someone had dumped their pasta out on the beach.”

It’s not clear if a taste test was employed by the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, but biologists concluded the material is definitely not leftovers.

“The culprit: Syringodium filiforme, also known as manatee grass!” the institute wrote in a Facebook post.

“Manatee grass is a type of seagrass characterized by its cylindrical leaves, which have a remarkable buoyancy when detached from the roots and rhizomes of the plant. Once separated, the leaves floated to the surface where they were bleached over time by the intense tropical and subtropical sun – causing the white appearance.”

That conclusion was reached after researchers compared a sample of the debris to healthy manatee grass, officials said.

The institute’s sensible explanation has gotten hundreds of reactions on social media, with many admitting they had other ideas, including shredded plastic.

“Was this a mass die off of the manatee grass or just broken off from turbulent waters? Fifty years of being on the beach, I have not seen this before,” Gina Simms wrote on Facebook.

“It probably would go good with a nice marinara sauce,” Bill Riskus said.

“Looks like the dog hair in my house,” John Barrett posted.

This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 9:01 AM with the headline "It looks like ‘pasta’ is blanketing Florida beach — but experts have real explanation."