Animal

Mysterious beast washes up on shore and leaves scientists BAFFLED

SCIENTISTS have been left baffled after a huge mysterious sea beast washed up on the shores of Namibia.

namibian dolphin project

Mysterious beast washes up on shore and leaves scientists BAFFLED (Image: NAMIBIAN DOLPHIN PROJECT FACEBOOK)

A rotting carcass which is unlike anything experts have seen before and measuring a massive six metres washed up on the shoreline of Dorob National Park.

A debate quickly arose on the species of the mysterious beast with experts unsure if the carcass is from the whale family or the dolphin family.

The creature has similar characteristics to a bottlenose dolphin, but at six metres long, it is almost two metres too big.

Namibian Dolphin Project (NDP) Researcher Dr Simon Elwen said: “On first sighting we had no idea what species it was.

NAMIBIAN DOLPHIN PROJECT FACEBOOK

Experts couldn’t decide on what the creature was initially (Image: NAMIBIAN DOLPHIN PROJECT FACEBOOK)

“The body of this animal was in an advanced state of decomposition – making it look rather un-whale like and there were several confused reports on social media.”

After a long debate, scientists came to the conclusion that the odd creature probably belongs to the whale family – most likely a Cuvier’s beaked whale.

The Cuvier’s beaked whale can grow up to seven metres long and is a cigar-shaped mammal which is distributed in more than three quarters of the world’s oceans.

Dr Elwen continued: “Based on the shape of the head and snout and the overall size – the research team are fairly confident that the specimen is a Cuvier’s beaked whale.”

Cuvier’s beaked whale

A Cuvier’s beaked whale (Image: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

He adds it was not possible to discover the cause of death due to how much the whale had rotter and the fact its head had been severely crushes.

Dr Elwen said: “The lower jawbone was cracked and broken quite severely, however, given the state of the corpse and the absence of any apparent external injuries, the damage to the jaw was possibly post-mortem.

“I was quite surprised. These animals are rarely seen in the water, so to see them on land is very unique.”

Related Posts

Snack-Happy Elephants Reach Out To Gorge Themselves On Sugar Cane When Their Open-Top Trailers Stop At A Junction Next To A Lorry Full Of The Crop

A couple of opportunistic elephants gorged themselves on sugar cane when their truck stopped next to the tasty treats at a busy junction. The giants of the animal…

Incredible moment vets save mother elephant’s life in front of her worried calf by jumping up and down on her to give CPR after pulling the pair out of a drain in Thailand

This is the inspiring moment a mother elephant was saved when vets conducted CPR by leaping up and down on her chest as her young daughter watched on….

Tourists stuck in their hatchback as a.morous elephant gets frisky on South African safari

This is the moment a bull elephant on musth – when its testosterone levels can reach 60 times greater than normal – decided to get closely acquainted with…

‘World’s loneliest elephant’ who has been kept in a tiny enclosure in Pakistan zoo for 35 years will finally be allowed to leave after campaign by animal welfare activists

An elephant kept alone in a tiny enclosure in a Pakistani zoo will be allowed to leave after a campaign by animal welfare activists helped ensure him better…

Un intrépido osezno de cuatro meses alcanza nuevas alturas y el corazón de su madre

En este conmovedor vídeo, te presentamos a un enérgico osezno de cuatro meses cuyo espíritu intrépido no conoce límites. Mira cómo este pequeño osito aventurero sube sin miedo…

Adorables cachorros de león convierten la sabana en su patio de juegos

En el corazón de la sabana salvaje, se desarrolla un espectáculo encantador cuando una manada de cachorros de león se embarca en una aventura lúdica. Estos pequeños bultos…