The Charleston-based nonprofit Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network has posted a photo of a mysterious round-shaped hollowed-out object that has washed up the shore of Seabrook Island in South Carolina.
According to LMMN, town officials have picked up the odd-looking thing, which has only added fuel to speculations.
"Alien space craft obviously," wrote Meghan Galipeau, joining a series of conspiracy theorists.
A bunch of more down-to-earth Facebook users contended that it could be the inside of a buoy or some part of a floating oil rig — an assumption backed by LMMN, which described the object as "foam-like."
At some point, Captain Obvious rushed to the rescue to quell all doubts. "It appears to be a woman with a cell phone," a cheeky user wrote.
One man has come up with a more grim explanation: "Part of the space shuttle Challenger that blew up about thirty years ago. Looks like a rocket nozzle to me. Notice the different insulating materials. Take a sample of the insulating material and try to burn it to see if it melts."
Another explanation was that it was a pipeline floater. However, it was dismissed by a user who claimed it was the weight at the suction end.
