Do you believe in mythical beasts? If you do, you won't be at all surprised by the pictures below.
If you don't, these pictures might totally change your mind.
In early May, 2017, a giant creature washed up on the shores of an Indonesian island. At nearly 50 feet long, the deceased beast floated along the surface of the water until it was spotted by an island resident, Asrul Tuanakot.
Asrul noticed the animal's body on Tuesday, May 9. At first, he thought the large floating object was just a stranded boat.
Later, the local military moved in to guard the animal carcass and move it closer to land so that it wouldn't contaminate the water.
Marine biology experts collected samples of the remains to try to identify the creature, but as of yet there is no definite explanation for what type of animal this is.
Look at the pictures below to see the creature — what do you think this massive animal is?
[H/T BuzzFeed]
After seeing what he thought was a large boat in the water, Asrul went to investigate and realized that the mass was actually a giant deceased animal.
Mbs Sangadji posted photos of the creature on Facebook, claiming it was a giant squid.
He wrote:
Giant squid discovered by Asrul Tuanakota on May 10, 2017 at 09:00 IEST.
The Giant squid was stranded on the coast of Hulung Village, Iha Kec. Huamual Kab. Seram Bagian Barat, Maluku.
This giant squid is 22 m long, 4 m wide and weighs about 35 tons.
It is hoped that there will be research by a related institution or university on the cause of death of this giant creature.
But is it actually a giant squid?
Some residents think so, while others believe it could be a decomposing whale.
Marcus Chua, a Southeast Asian mammal researcher, told Mashable that while he thinks it's a baleen whale of some sort, it isn't currently possible to tell what the creature is because of the advanced stage of decomposition.
So while it's possible the creature is a giant squid or humpback whale, it's also possible that it's something else entirely.
Based on the photos, what do you think the animal is? Can you tell?
If you're shocked by this massive beast, please SHARE this article with your friends and family!
Update: Since this article was published, the mysterious creature has since been identified, as reported by the Daily Mail. According to George Leonard, chief scientist at the Ocean Conservancy, and Alexander Werth, a whale biologist at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, the creature is most likely a baleen whale.
