According to the New York Post, comments on the video included "looks like E.T.'s hand," and that it might be a "mermaid hand."

Another person suggested the couple "take it to a biologist because this isn't normal," and one such expert weighed in. Marine biologist Eric Comin is certain the bones aren't human. He thinks the hand likely is from a cetacean, an aquatic mammal like a dolphin or a whale. While he said further tests are needed, his guess is that it is a dolphin since they are common in the area. He feels the animal probably died 18 months ago.

Comin noted that when beachgoers find weird things on the shore, they should contact a local environmental agency. In the case of that area in Brazil, that's the Cananeia Research Institute. A spokesperson there stated, "We always prioritize leaving the bones on the beach so it does not interfere with the cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem. Eventually, when there is some scientific interest, we collect them to be used in studies. If they are recently-deceased animals, we collect them to perform necropsies and identify the cause of death."

Becky Mits