An unidentified creature that washed up on a beach in Papua New Guinea has baffled many, including a few experts. The images shared on Facebook also sparked a conversation about mermaids among netizens. Why? The pictures show a piece of decomposing flesh that is ‘mermaid-shaped’.
This bizarre ‘mermaid-like’ creature caused a stir among people. (Facebook/@samo za Novoirce)
The pictures were posted on the New Irelanders Only Facebook page. “A strange mermaid-shaped creature from the Dead Sea washed ashore on Simberi Island this morning. Does anyone have an explanation for the identification of this creature?” reads the caption posted alongside the images.
The photos show a globster – an unidentified organic mass that washes up on the shore of any body of water – which is white and has a very distinctive shape.
What did the experts say?
Experts have different theories about what the creature could be, LiveScience reports. While some speculated that it could be a dead shark or whale, others thought it could be a Dugong marine mammal.
“It looks like a very decayed whale to me,” Sascha Hooker, a 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 take on a color similar to the one in the pictures.
“My best estimate is that it could be a Dugong,” said Jens Currie, chief scientist of the Pacific Whale Foundation.
Check out these pictures of the creature that surprised the experts:
The post was shared last month. Since then, it has collected close to 1000 likes. The share also collected several comments. From sharing that they thought the mythical creature was a mermaid to announcing that the creature could be a dead shark or whale to going on a merry-go-round, people expressed their reactions in a variety of ways.
Here’s what Facebook users have to say about this creature:
“It’s shaped like a mermaid because mermaids are shaped like fish lol,” the Facebook user posted. “It is clear that it is some kind of fish or sea creature. It’s definitely not a mermaid, there’s no special feature for a mermaid,” shared another. “She looks like a mermaid,” commented a third. “It looks like a shark. He must have died a few weeks ago,” wrote a fourth.
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Categories: Trending
Source: newstars.edu.vn