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SOUTH FLORIDA - The mystery of the giant eyeball that washed up on a South Florida beach last week, has been solved.

The eyeball came from a swordfish, according to scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They said straight-line slashes on the softball-sized orb suggest that it was freshly cut out of the fish's head by a fisherman and tossed overboard. The fact that it washed ashore and was found by a beachcomber so quickly contributed to a rare string of circumstances that sparked last week's collective "ewws" and "ahhs."

"It's definitely been unusual to have a situation quite like this," said Kevin Baxter, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission has been fielding tons of inquiries ever since pictures of the eerie eyeball turned up on Thursday. The FFWCC has a picture gallery on its Facebook page and Flickr gallery.

Observers had speculated that the eye might have come from a large fish, or a giant squid. Genetic testing is being conducted to confirm the hypothesis.