Buzz
A recent dog walker stumbled upon a gigantic white 'meat lump' on a beach in Cornwall, UK, sparking speculation about extraterrestrial presence.
A strange meat chunk recently left beachgoers baffled as it washed up on the shores of the United Kingdom. Experts believe the odd object is actually a mass of whale intestines drifting ashore.
Local resident Helen Marlow discovered this peculiar object around midnight on October 27th while walking her dog on Marazion Beach near Penzance in Cornwall, UK.
Marlow spotted this meaty lump, covered in seaweed, on the shoreline shortly after the tide receded, indicating it had washed ashore. She noted it lacked any notable odor or emitted any foul, unpleasant smells.
Marlow mentioned that her dog was very curious and attempted to rub its body against the mysterious mass, suggesting it is organic. However, she admitted she has no idea what it could be.
Whale placenta?
Marlow uploaded photos of the meat chunk to the Facebook group of the UK Marine Biology Association and received various conflicting speculations about what it could be. Suggestions included whale placenta, a sandbag, and an inflated ball.
The Facebook post quickly caught the attention of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust's Marine Strandings Network, which records all dead organic matter washed up on the coast in the area.
Initially, researchers speculated that the alien-looking object could be whale placenta. Abby Crosby, a marine conservation officer at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said this would be truly exciting as it would mean a baby whale had recently been born nearby.
However, after consulting experts at the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), it became clear that the hefty mass is actually the stomach of a whale. It's unclear exactly which whale species the stomach could come from, but its size provides some clues.
'The stomach is quite large,' Crosby said, meaning it must come from a fairly large whale species. Some large whale species regularly pass through the waters of the UK, including fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
Crosby noted that less commonly encountered species include the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus).
She added that this could be the stomach of a decomposing dead whale on the surface of the open ocean far from the coastline.
According to Live Science
