A white hairy creature stunned those living near a beach in the Philippines’ Cagdainao, Dinagat Islands after washing ashore.
After photos were uploaded onto social media, the creature caught the attention of the world, the Daily Mail reports.
‘Hairy Beast’ Washes Ashore
From monsters to half-whale and half-polar hybrids, droves of people are offering suggestions as to what the creature might be.
“[Think] it’s appa,” one user tweeted according to the Daily Mail, referring to a character from the TV series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” “Or a big Shitzu. I could be wrong.”
“Globster/Trunko right?” wrote one user, referring to the creature found in 1924 in South Africa. “Half whale half polar bear?”
However, the mysterious creature could also be something far more mundane.
Local scientists say they believe it is a 20-foot long carcass from a whale that was likely killed by a ship two weeks earlier. The animal would have decomposed, hence its white color.
The unusual animal is just one of quite a few deep sea creatures popping up on beaches in the Philippines recently.
One is the oarfish, the appearance of which some speculate foreshadows an upcoming earthquake.
They are often sighted ashore days before one occurs, reports National Geographic, causing some experts to conclude there is a correlation.
“It’s theoretically possible because when an earthquake occurs there can be a build-up of pressure in the rocks which can lead to electrostatic charges that cause electrically-charged ions to be released into the water,” said Rachel Grant, an animal biology lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, reports The Independent. “This can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is a toxic compound. The charged ions can also oxidize organic matter which could either kill the fish or force them to leave the deep ocean and rise to the surface.”
However, Grant does note that oarfish do not always float ashore before earthquakes.
“It may be due to seismic activity or it may be due to other factors unconnected with earthquakes, such as infrasound caused by underwater activities, such as military submarines, or pollution,” she said.
Sources: Daily Mail, National Geographic, The Independent / Photo credit: Daily Mail
