'Eric' has now been identified as a small immature crab also known as a Megalopa!
Original story below.
A British mom had quite a surprise last week when she opened a can of Princes tuna and claims she saw a little creature staring back at her.
@NottinghamPost can you tell me what this is? Nearly fed this to my children!! From Princes tuna chunks can
"I opened the top of the lid and saw a purply thing, a gut sack or intestine – then I turned it round and pushed it with a fork and saw it looking back at me," Zoe Butler told The Nottingham Post.
The 28-year-old tweeted that she complained to the company about the tuna surprise, and she says they're now investigating what it might be.
The mysterious creature was "very much dead," she added.
No update on the 'creature' other than it is currently being investigated at an external laboratory 🐟
She added that the little guy has a "spiny tail" on its bottom. "I dropped the fork, jumped back, screamed a bit and shouted for my nan to come and have a look," she said.
Amateur internet sleuths have started trying to figure out what the eyes might belong to.
@zoelouisebutler hey I read your story and am convinced it's a head of a Cymothoa exigua IT lives inside of fish
@zoelouisebutler @NottinghamPost Ya know....with the markings on the head, it actually looks like the head of a developing baby sea turtle.
@zoelouisebutler My guess is a blowfish fetus?... Thats mine anyway, haha.
@zoelouisebutler looks like some sort of tadpole no?
@zoelouisebutler - Ladies and Gentlemen.... Settle down, it's a #crab. I've found them inside #Oysters before. Case closed. #MysteryTuna
While others jumped to the natural conclusion that it's probably extraterrestrial.
@zoelouisebutler Looks like an alien .... How did it taste? #savingliveswithNeoslip
@zoelouisebutler twitter famous because of an alien in her tuna, also, she'll probably never look at tuna the same, much less eat it 😷👽👎
it's clearly some form of alien @zoelouisebutler
Butler said the company told her they would have an answer by Friday.
Wow so many suggestions on what the creature could be. I'm googling them all now 😂😂
What could it be?!
@zoelouisebutler #TunaGate The world awaits the results!
H/T: Uproxx