POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Gino Covacci has been walking and looking for little treasures on Pompano Beach for the last 12 years and he says has found a lot of different things but one thing he never expected to find a giant eyeball.
"When I saw it, it looked like just a white ball," Covacci said. "I just kicked it and it turned upside down and I immediately knew it was an eye."
When he found, he said it wasn't a pretty picture.
"There was still blood on it," he said. "I put it in a plastic bag and blood came out. So I put it in the refrigerator."
Covacci called to find out what kind of animal the eyeball belonged to and officials were perplexed.
Fishing charter captains at Haulover Marina told Local 10, what they thought of the enormous eye. Chris Bostwick, said he thought the eye belonged to a swordfish.
"That is the only billfish that has a big eye like that," Bostwick said. "All you Marlins and sailfish have small eyes. That is a deep water fish."
But Covacci disagrees. He says it's not a fish eye.
"It can be a squid or a calamari, of course I am Italian," Covacci said adding it may belong to a squid or an octopus.
But thanks to science, there will be a better idea of what animal it came from. Florida Fish and Wildlife has the eye now.
"We have the eyeball at our research institute where our scientists are going to dissect it and try and find out exactly what species the eyeball belongs to," said Jorge Pino, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer.
Pino says the story has gone viral.
"We have received interest from local news, national news and by the end of the day I am sure it will be international news," he said.
Gino Covacci has been walking and looking for little treasures on Pompano Beach for the last 12 years and he says has found a lot of different things but one thing he never expected to find a giant eyeball.
"When I saw it, it looked like just a white ball," Covacci said. "I just kicked it and it turned upside down and I immediately knew it was an eye."
When he found it, he said it wasn't a pretty picture.
"There was still blood on it," he said. "I put it in a plastic bag and blood came out. So I put it in the refrigerator."
Covacci called to find out what kind of animal the eyeball belonged to and officials were perplexed.
Fishing charter captains at Haulover Marina told Local 10, what they thought of the enormous eye. Chris Bostwick, said he thought the eye belonged to a swordfish.
"That is the only billfish that has a big eye like that," Bostwick said. "All you Marlins and sailfish have small eyes. That is a deep water fish."
But Covacci disagrees. He says it's not a fish eye.
"It can be a squid or a calamari, of course I am Italian," Covacci said adding it may belong to a squid or an octopus.
But thanks to science, there will be a better idea of what animal it came from. Florida Fish and Wildlife has the eye now.
"We have the eyeball at our research institute where our scientists are going to dissect it and try and find out exactly what species the eyeball belongs to," said Jorge Pino, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer.
Pino says the story has gone viral.
"We have received interest from local news, national news and by the end of the day I am sure it will be international news," he said.