Is it a seaweed??

D and I went strolling along the beach a few weeks ago collecting seashells and sea glass. We came across this odd item.  It looked like a curled up seaweed.
Here is it:

 I said, "Whoa look at this!  It's so interesting.  It must be a seaweed. Let's take it home to show daddy."  And that is exactly what we did.  Fast forward a few weeks.  By now the seaweed thing is all dried up but still looks rather unique.

We had a friend over for dinner last night and she spots it and announced, "Oh!  Is that a shark egg?"

WHAT?..WHAT?  Me:  "Nooo, that is a seaweed!  We found it at the beach."
Friend:  Hmm, we've been to the aquarium and that looks like a shark egg.  Hmm, maybe not."
Then after examining it a bit more she says, "No, I think that is a shark egg."  She picks it up and shakes it.  Sure enough, there was something rattling in it!  I mean...I am telling you...I was HORRIFIED!!  My eyes bugged out of my head and I just said, "NOOOO...!!"

She said, "Yes."  Why don't you open it up?

She explained that some sharks lay eggs, they look just like this...and when the shark hatches it pops out of the bottom.  Well, we just happened to have brought two of these "seaweed" things back home and when we picked up the other one, lo and behold, the bottom was open.  The one she held in her hand?  No opening at bottom.  Well, there was only one way to get to the bottom of this.  We got some tools (a screwdriver and some pliers) and cut that sucker open.

YIIIIKES!!!  THIS IS WHAT CAME OUT!!

Ohhh, I was so heartbroken.  Do you see that?  That is yolk.  Yuck!  I can't believe those were shark's eggs.

Well, I will not be picking those things up again!  Poor babies.  Literally.

On a brighter note, I had some tea with dinner last night so I was up all night.  Just long enough to make a little mushroom as a gift from the fairies!