In 2018, a large bag of 54 human hands washed up on the Siberian shores of the icy Amur River.

 In 2018, a large bag of 54 human hands washed up on the Siberian shores of the icy Amur River.

A sea is a place full of mystery – humankind has mapped out more outer space than we have of our own seabed.

So, it’s not really any big surprise that, from time to time, bizarre things tend to wash up on our beaches and coastlines.

From World War II relics to Ice Age and Prehistoric remains, here are 20 of the strangest things that have ever washed up on our shores.

That discovery led the fisherman to the nearby bag, which also contained medical bandages and plastic shoe coverings commonly used in clean facilities such as laboratories and hospitals.

Initially the provenance of the 54 hands was unknown, but the Investigative Committee of The Russian Federation acted swiftly, and determined their origin was a Khabarovsk-based forensics laboratory.

"The biological objects (hands) found are not of a criminal origin, but were disposed of in a manner not provided for by law

Russian authorities are conducting an investigation into the incident to find out all of the circumstances surrounding the incident. They've only been able to obtain just one set of prints from the hands, but the lab itself will likely yield more information.

"Based on the audit results, a legal assessment will be made of the actions of officials of the forensic medical institution in the city