Experts reveal why Australian teenager's legs were ravaged by 'meat fleas' on Melbourne beach

'What is really clear is these little things really love meat,' says 16-year-old's father

Marine experts have attempted to shed some light on why a teenager was left with bleeding legs after being attacked by tiny organisms as he paddled at an Australia beach.

Sam Kanizay was standing in the shallows when he felt the creatures attack on Brighton beach, Melbourne.

The 16-year-old was left with blood pouring from the pinhole size wounds on his lower legs, but marine biologists said the incident had been "bad luck" and the creatures posed no risk to the general public.

Sam's father Jarrod Kanizay said hospital staff had no idea what kind of creature could have caused the injuries, so he went back to the beach the following night with a pool net full of meat and captured the animals he believes could have been responsible.

Mr Kanizay took a video of dozens of the tiny bug-like creatures scrabbling to feed on the chunks of meat.

"What is really clear is these little things really love meat," he said.

Jeff Weir, executive director of the Dolphin Research Institute, believes Sam may have been attacked by crustaceans called amphipods, which usually eat decomposing plant and animal scraps.

Marine biologist Dr Genefor Walker-Smith agreed, telling the ABC’s RN Breakfast programme: "Sam may have walked past a group that was feeding on something. He might have bumped a dead crab and stirred them up.

“He was standing still for a long time in the water and the water was cold, I don’t think he actually felt them biting. The fact that he just stood there gave them plenty of time to latch on.

“They don’t normally attack humans, it’s just an unfortunate coincidence.”

However, Thomas Cribb, a parasite expert from the University of Queensland, said it would be very unusual for amphipods to cause such extensive bleeding.

"It's not a parasite I've ever come across," he said.

Meanwhile, marine expert Michael Brown believes the small bugs eating the meat in the video could be jellyfish larvae.

"I've never seen anything like this," he told Channel Seven's Sunrise programme.

Additional reporting by PA