MALUKU, INDONESIA — Residents of Seram Island in Indonesia’s Maluku province on May 9 discovered a enormous, putrid, rotting carcass of marine animal. The advanced decay of the 15 metre long, eight metre wide object had investigators stumped as to what exactly this thing was — until now.
Given its flat, elongated shape and the appearance of long, thin tendrils, locals speculated it could be giant squid or cuttlefish.
However, on closer examination, those ‘tentacles’ have turned out to be nothing of the sort. Intestines and fat that spilled from one end of the carcass splayed out into shapes making it resemble something like a squid, say investigations.
Speaking to news portal Detik.com, government fisheries worker Narun has poured cold water over the squid theory.
Given its size, shape and other tell-tale features, he says the stinking mass of rotting flesh is the carcass of nothing more mysterious than a whale.
It’s not yet known for certain exactly which species of whale this is, but but the large tusk-like bone visible above the water appears to be part of the jaw of a baleen whale. These whales feed using baleen plates which filter food from the seawater.
Fisheries workers have taken samples from the animal’s skin and bone to try and determine its age.
