(Duluth, MN) -- They are strange objects with strange names and they are washing up on Minnesota's North Shore. Scientists dub them "whale burps" or "surf balls," round or oval bundles of twigs, seaweed and other debris all tied together with plastic strands. The U-of-M's Sharon Moen says the plastic strands could have possibly came from some type of landscaping fabric. She says people need to be aware of what types of plastics are being put into the environment. Moen says whale burps have washed up on the shore in Duluth but no one is sure how they are formed in the water. Moen has a whale burp on her office shelf but doesn't quite know what to do with it. Perhaps enter it in a "weird object" contest?
