“I was like, ‘What am I even looking at?’”
Published on June 28, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Last year, wildlife photographer Brianna Varner and her boyfriend paid a visit to Florida’s Pass-a-Grille Beach. The area had recently experienced some rough weather, which meant there might be something interesting washed up on shore.
As Varner dug through the debris scattered over the sand, she noticed what she thought was a leaf. But when she picked it up, she felt like there was something strange about it.
“I was just kind of staring at it, and I was like, ‘This is kind of weirdly shaped,’” Varner told The Dodo.
As she kept staring at the “leaf,” she slowly realized it was actually a mermaid’s purse. Mermaid’s purses are the common name for the casings that surround shark, stingray and skate eggs. Mothers deposit mermaid’s purses underwater and anchor them to something on the ocean floor to keep them secure until the embryos are ready to hatch.
Varner wasn’t expecting the mermaid’s purse to actually contain an embryo — typically, when people find the egg cases on the beach, they’ve already hatched. But as she held it in her hand, she noticed it had a rounded shape and was sealed at the ends. So she decided to shine some light through it to see if there was anything inside.
“As soon as we held it up to the sun, we noticed that there was a little embryo in it,” Varner said.
Varner knew the embryo wouldn’t make it if its case was left to dry out on the beach. So she carefully tucked it in under the rocks in a tide pool to give it a chance to survive.
As Varner kept exploring the beach, she found six or seven more mermaid’s purses. Each time she found one, she placed it in a tide pool.
The very last mermaid’s purse Varner picked up felt different. At first, she wasn’t quite sure why.
“The other ones kind of felt a little bit more leathery and like they had some give to them … but this one was really hard,” Varner said. “And then when we went to hold it up to the light like we had with the others, no light would get through.”
As Varner was carrying this embryo to the water, she started to feel it move. She realized then that the embryo was further along in its development than the others — but she didn’t know quite how far.
“All of a sudden, I look down and a little mouth is looking at me,” Varner said. “And it was so jarring at first, because I was like, ‘What am I even looking at?’”
As Varner tried to wrap her mind around what was happening, a baby started to emerge from the egg case. Within seconds, the tiny animal had fully come out and was ready to start swimming. There were some rough waves close to the shore, so Varner decided to carry the baby out into deeper water before letting go.
“[I]t just immediately dropped to the sand, which is exactly what its instincts would be telling it to do,” Varner said. “It was a really cool moment where I was like, ‘Oh my God. I think it’ll be OK.’”
Varner’s experience with the mermaid’s purse serves as a great reminder to not destroy or throw away things you don’t recognize when you’re at the beach.
“There’s a lot of things that are on beaches that we don’t realize are alive or important,” Varner said.
After some research, Varner determined that the baby who’d hatched in her hand was a clearnose skate. She was honored to have witnessed the skate’s first few minutes of life, and she kept the empty mermaid’s purse as a memento of the unforgettable moment.
To keep up with Varner and see more of her ocean discoveries, you can follow her on TikTok or Instagram.
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‘Gentle’ Stray Cat Locks Eyes With Woman Across Market And Makes A Forever Friend
“She chose us …” 🥹
By Ashley Ortiz
Liron Chen Gonen was walking around her hometown on Christmas Day when something caught her attention. The sun was setting, and the crowd around the local shopping center was dwindling, but one stoic being seemed in no rush to leave.
“She was sitting quietly near a trash can, not crying or approaching people,” Liron told The Dodo. “Just … present.”
Liron was shocked. She’d never seen the kitten before. And while the cat appeared to have no home, it was her peaceful demeanor that struck Liron.
“What stood out to me was how calm she was despite being alone,” Liron said. “There was something very gentle and observant about her, as if she was watching the world rather than asking anything from it.”
Liron called out to the cat, and the sweet girl came running over. But she soon returned to her spot by the trash can and resumed her silent people-watching.
Liron eventually left, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the cat.
“I told myself she was probably a community cat, that maybe someone nearby was caring for her,” Liron said. “Still, something about her stayed with me. I couldn’t fully let it go.”
Liron felt emotional leaving the cat behind and spent the next few days thinking of her. She couldn’t rest until she knew the cat was safe.
“When the weather turned rainy and cold, the worry really set in,” Liron said.
You can watch footage from their first encounter here:
Liron soon returned to the plaza and began asking local shop owners if they’d seen the cat. A few of them recognized her immediately.
“[She] mostly stayed between a small produce stand, where the owner would feed her, and a nearby doner place where people often stopped to eat,” Liron said. “Sadly, her mother was hit by a passing car in the same area … which made the location especially unsafe for a young kitten.”
Though the kitten’s mother survived the accident, she was left with lifelong injuries — and that reality only pushed Liron to finally bring the sweet girl home. She waited at the trash can where she first saw the cat, but sadly, no one showed up.
“I was honestly afraid I wouldn’t find her again, and that feeling didn’t leave until I saw her,” Liron said.
When Liron returned the next day with her two sons, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“[T]here she was, in almost the exact same spot, as if she had been waiting,” Liron said. “It felt less like I rescued her — and more like she chose us.”
Elated, Liron scooped the cat up and drove her home. The family welcomed the cat with open arms, and after offering her some food and a cozy bed, they gave her the perfect name: Jolie.
“Her name, Jolie, came naturally,” Liron said. “It means ‘beautiful’ in French, but not just on the outside. It fit her softness, her presence and the quiet way she entered our lives.”
You can watch Jolie enjoying her new life here:
Jolie instatnly settled into her new home, where she’s been thriving ever since. Now exclusively indoors, Jolie spends her days playing with her favorite toys and cuddling with her beloved humans.
It’s unclear exactly what Jolie’s life could’ve been like if Liron hadn’t gone back for her, but one thing’s for certain: The sweet cat couldn’t be more loved now.
“Jolie’s life now is full of warmth and safety,” Liron said. “She follows us around the house, naps in sunny spots and is very much part of the family.”
You can keep up with Jolie’s adventures on Instagram.
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