A mysterious hairy-looking sea creature washed ashore on an island in the Philippines, puzzling locals and the internet at large.
The massive, unidentified blob measured about 20 feet in length and weighed more than 4000 pounds, according to National Geographic. But while some speculated that the strange creature might be a newly discovered species, a team of investigators from Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands, where the creature was discovered, unanimously determined that it’s a decomposing whale.
They’ve sent a sample specimen for testing to determine the exact species and the cause of death, according to a statement on their Facebook.
Other experts agree that the globster is likely a whale and not some strange otherworldly being. In fact, what looks like long white hairs covering its body might actually be muscle fibers.
“Other creatures could have sped up the decomposition process, but it looks like a normally decomposing carcass,” Lucy Babey, a representative from the wildlife conservation organization ORCA told the BBC.
Babey also pointed out that the tail was missing from the carcass, which suggested that the animal was actually much bigger when it was alive.
Though the vast majority of dead sea creatures never wash up on land, this animal is believed to have been displaced by a 6.7-magnitude earthquake that took place in the Philippines in February.
A week before, fishermen in the Philippines had discovered two separate giant oarfish, which some believe can predict earthquakes, though that has never been proven.
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