Sea Fleas Ate An Australian Teen's Legs, And OMG I'm Gagging [PHOTOS]

A trip to the beach turned into a horror movie for Melbourne, Australia, teen Sam Kanizay, whose feet were apparently eaten by tiny sea crustaceans informally known as sea fleas.

After playing soccer with his friends, Sam Kanizay, 16, dipped his lower legs and feet into the water of Brighton's Dendy Street Beach on Saturday (8/5) to soothe his aching muscles, according to the Washington Post. 

When Kanizay emerged from the water, his legs and feet were covered in what appeared to be thousands of bleeding pinholes. Kanizay and his father, Jarrod, went to a local hospital where doctors were baffled by his injury.

According to marine biologist Genefor Walker-Smith, lysianassid amphipods-- a type of scavenging crustacean known as 'sea fleas'-- were responsible for Kanizay's injury.

Source: BuzzFeed, CNN; photo: AAP