Baffled tourists were left stunned when a wild boar emerged from the sea and scared beach-goers.
Wildlife experts are now looking for the 10-stone beast with sharp tusks that can do damage if they come into contact with humans.
In footage captured of the event, the boar is seen emerging from the sea on to the family-friendly beach on the Costa del Sol on Malaya Beach, not far from Malaga.
The animal was seen moving along the beach and scaring sunbathers before it disappeared into the reeds behind the sand.
If found and caught, reports say the animal will not be killed but hit with tranquillisers so it can be taken safely inland away from tourists.
One man is heard shouting in Spanish "Watch out, it’s coming out of the water."
Jose Antonio Villodres, who runs a company which is leading the search for the animal, told a local paper: “We haven’t captured it yet but we’ve identified the path it’s taking.”
Warning sunbathers not to approach it if it returned to the beach, he added: “It has very sharp fangs and although it doesn’t attack it can do a lot of damage just by grazing you.
"People who encounter it should stay still and not worry it."
Caza Hispanica describes the natural habitat for Spanish wild boas as "undergrowth and forest, at any altitude," so appearances of beaches full of tourists are not necessarily that common, despite recent incidents.
Tourists and residents are being warned the incident could become more common as the drought affecting Spain forces the animal to the beach attempting to cool off in the water.
Only two months ago a 67-year-old female sunbather was bitten by a wild boar on a beach on the Costa Blanca.
It is believed to have come from the nearby Serra Gelada Natural Park which consists of over 5,000 acres of protected coastline in the municipalities of Benidorm, Alfaz del Pi and Altea.
On th El Albir beach just north of Benidorm, the woman was left with only a "minor" injury.
Colombian pop star Shakira also recently claimed she was "attacked" by a boar who tried to "rob" her and her son in a park in Barcelona.
She said: "Look at how two wild boar which attacked me in the park have left my bag.
"They were taking my bag to the woods with my mobile phone in it. They’ve destroyed everything."
Neither she nor her son Milan appeared to be injured
