For those who enjoy sci-fi, the haunting image of the facehugger from Alien is probably etched permanently in their minds.

But what if I told you that real-life marine biologists have stumbled upon something resembling a genuine facehugger, hidden in the icy depths of Antarctica?

Get ready for some eerie pictures as a new and eerie species of sea creature with 20 arms has been uncovered, and its peculiar name matches its odd looks.

The journey began when a team of scientists embarked on a series of expeditions in the Southern Ocean from 2008 to 2017.

The main goal of these missions was to seek out 'hidden' sea creatures known as Promachocrinus for the scientific folks, and Antarctic feather stars for the rest of us.

Even though they share more similarities with other spineless beings like starfish and sea cucumbers, these creatures have an 'extraterrestrial appearance' when they glide through the water.

Despite their resemblance to other invertebrates, they are quite 'large' and can reside as deep as 6,500 feet beneath the ocean's surface.

During their expedition, the team stumbled upon a total of eight entirely distinct species, among which four had never been officially identified by scientists.

Among these, there's one that goes by the name Promachocrinus fragarius, also known as the Antarctic strawberry feather star.

Oddly enough, its name contrasts with its appearance, reminiscent of the creature from the Alien movie.

These creatures were given their names due to their body resembling a 'strawberry,' from which 20 delicate arms extend.

Pictures of the feather star reveal that the creature seems to possess two distinct types of arms: the lower ones are slightly thinner and shorter, adorned with stripes, while the others are lengthier and feathery in nature.

The research group observed that the coloring of the Antarctic strawberry feather star can vary, spanning from a 'purplish' hue to a 'deep reddish' shade.

These findings were detailed in a publication last month (July 14) in the peer-reviewed journal Invertebrate Systematics.

The team behind this discovery consisted of Emily McLaughlin, Nerida Wilson, and Greg Rouse, who established the Antarctic strawberry feather star as a novel species by evaluating its physical structure and conducting DNA analysis.

Naturally, the news has made a significant impact worldwide, prompting numerous individuals to swiftly take to social media platforms to express their reactions to this remarkable finding.

One individual on Facebook expressed: "This is terrifying."

A second shared: "It looks like the creature from the first Alien movie when it came out of its egg."

"Yeah I've seen that movie, please leave it frozen," a third wished.

"Alien's living under the ice," someone else wrote.

Another Facebook user joked: "Weirdest strawberry I've even seen."

No doubt about it.