An unidentified creature that washed up on a beach in Papua New Guinea has left many baffled, including several experts. Shared on Facebook, the images have also sparked a chatter about mermaids among netizens. Why? The images show a lump of decaying flesh that is ‘shaped like a mermaid’.
The pictures are posted on the Facebook page New Irelanders Only. “Strange dead sea creature shaped like a mermaid washed onto the shoreline in Simberi Island this morning. Anyone with the explanation to identify this creature?” reads the caption posted along with the pictures.
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The photos show a globster - an unidentified organic mass that washes up on the shoreline of any water body - that is white and has a very distinctive shape.
What did the experts say?
The experts have different theories about what the creature could be, reports LiveScience. While some speculated that it could be a dead shark or a whale, others thought it could be the marine mammal Dugong.
“It looks like a very decomposed cetacean to me,” Sascha Hooker, marine mammal expert at the University of St Andrews, told LiveScience. She further explained that when a shark or whale dies and their skin falls off, they turn into a colour similar to the one captured in the pictures.
{{/usCountry}}“It looks like a very decomposed cetacean to me,” Sascha Hooker, marine mammal expert at the University of St Andrews, told LiveScience. She further explained that when a shark or whale dies and their skin falls off, they turn into a colour similar to the one captured in the pictures.
{{/usCountry}}"My best estimate is that it might be a Dugong," said Jens Currie, chief scientist of the Pacific Whale Foundation, to the outlet.
Take a look at these images of the creature that has surprise experts:
The post was shared last month. Since then, it has collected close to 1,000 likes. The share has also accumulated several comments. From sharing that they think it is the mythical creature mermaid to posting that the creature could be a dead shark or whale to taking the route of hilarity, people expressed their reactions in varied ways.
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Here’s what Facebook users say about this creature:
“It's shaped like a mermaid because mermaids are shaped like fish lol,” posted a Facebook user. “Clearly it's some kind of fish or sea creature. It's definitely not a mermaid, there is no distinguished feature for a mermaid present,” shared another. “Looks like a mermaid,” commented a third. “Looks like a shark. Must have died a couple of weeks ago,” wrote a fourth.