“Thats’s my purse. I don’t know you!” - Bobby Hill Ever wonder what these black, palm-sized leathery cases are that sometimes wash up on beaches? Sometimes known as “mermaid’s purse,” these pouches don’t hold Ariel’s whozits and whatzits, but the egg cases of some sharks and skates, which are similar to rays with a flat body shape and flat pectoral fins. Each egg case has four “horns” on each corner, which help anchor the case to seaweed on the bottom of the sea floor. When the embryo has finished developing, the pouch opens on one end, and the young one emerges. Most of the time, the egg cases you find washed up on shore are empty. The egg cases pictured here were found on Sandy Hook after the Christmas Eve flooding, most likely washed ashore by the rough surf and tall waves. Image: Four leathery looking egg cases lying in the sand at @gatewaynps #SandyHookNJ #MermaidsPurse #gatewaynationalrecreationarea #underthesea #purse