A fifth mysterious monolith has appeared on a beach on the Isle of Wight in the UK

• A fifth monolith was spotted on Compton Beach, on the UK's Isle of Wight, Sunday morning.
• The tall mirrored column bares similarities to other structures that have appeared in Utah and California in the United States, as well as Romania and The Netherlands.
• The discovery comes as a New Mexico-based artist group called The Most Famous Artist has appeared to take credit for the phenomenon.

A new silver monolith was spotted on a beach on the UK's Isle of Wight Sunday morning, after the appearance of similar structures in the southwestern United States, Romania, and The Netherlands, according to the Isle of Wight County Press.

By current count, the monolith on the Isle of Wight's Compton Beach is the fifth monolith to be discovered. It appears to stand a bit shorter than the original monolith in Utah, and has a pointier top.

While the original monolith in Utah sparked questions about possible alien life, the locals who viewed the Isle of Wight monolith were more skeptical.

Local woman Ami Blackburn, 31, went to visit the monolith with her son and boyfriend, and told The Sun that she thinks it's "more than likely an unusual art project."

"We moved some of the sand from around the bottom and it's partly buried but we felt underneath and it was made of wood with mirrors stuck to the side," she said.

Tom Dunford, 29, who spotted the monolith while on a morning walk with his fiancée and sister on Sunday, told Sky News he was familiar with the other monoliths and "recognized it straight away."

"It's someone playing a practical joke, I don't believe in any of these conspiracy theories," Dunford said.

It's unclear who is responsible for putting the Isle of Wight structure up. A New Mexico-based artist collective called The Most Famous Artist recently appeared to take responsibility for the monoliths, but founder Matty Mo gave a roundabout answer when the New York Post asked if his group was connected to the latest monolith in the UK.

According to a screenshot of his text message conversation with the Post, which was posted to the collective's Instagram account late Sunday, Matty said: "The monolith is out of my control at this point. Godspeed to all the aliens working hard around the globe to propagate the myth."

The first monolith was spotted by Utah state wildlife workers counting big horn sheep in a remote area of the state on November 18, according to a press release from the Utah Department of Public Safety. Internet sleuths discovered the coordinates of the monolith, causing a barrage of tourism to the area. Eventually, a group of men took the sculpture down, out of concern for the damage visitors were causing to the natural area.

Subsequent monoliths have appeared in Romania, a mountain in California, and The Netherlands.

The Most Famous Artist has also posted a picture of another monolith outside Joshua Tree, California, but it appears no one has found that monolith yet.

While The Most Famous Artist has been posting hints on its website and social media channels that the collective is responsible for the monoliths, it has not taken direct credit for the project, according to Mashable.

Mashable got into contact with the group's founder, Matty Mo, who said he's "not able to say much because of legalities of the original installation."

The appearance of the structure in Utah is currently under investigation by local authorities.

"I can say we are well known for stunts of this nature and at this time we are offering authentic art objects through monoliths-as-a-service. I cannot issue additional images at this time but I can promise more on this in the coming days and weeks," Mo said.

One of said high-profile stunts was changing the Hollywood sign to read "Hollyweed" in 2017.

Mo's collective is currently charging $45,000 for art collectors looking to get their hands on their own monolith.

As Mashable reporter Rachel Kraus pointed out, the group's claiming credit for the monoliths, and charging $45,000 for new monoliths, could be a sign that they are in fact not behind the monoliths.

"Given the financial aspect here, the artists inserting themselves into the narrative of this stunt could just be a way to make money - also possibly it could be critiquing art collectors' willingness to pay big bucks to get in on a cultural moment. Then again, being actually behind the monolith stunts would achieve that same extremely meta end.

"Alternatively, the act of claiming credit could just be 'the art' itself that Mo is going for," Kraus wrote.

• Read more:
• The best memes about the mysterious metal monoliths that are perplexing people around the world
• Another monolith has popped up outside a candy shop in Pittsburgh - but this one isn't at all mysterious
• A timeline of all of the monolith appearances and disappearances around the world
• An extreme-sports YouTuber claims he removed the Utah monolith, and he posted a video showing him moving the dismantled structure with a wheelbarrow