Massive sea creature washes ashore in Indonesia

The deep sure has its fair share of nightmarish secrets.

The rotting carcass of a giant sea creature has washed ashore in Indonesia, turning surrounding waters red and putting the fear of Cthulhu in the hearts of mere mortals.

On Tuesday evening, 37-year-old Asrul Tuanakota happened upon the gargantuan corpse on Hulung Beach, Serum Island, Mashable reports. At first he mistakenly thought it was a stranded boat. Only upon closer inspection did he realize that it was something far, far nastier.

The creature is enormous at over 15m (49.2 feet) long, according to some reports. It looks like it’s been dead three days, perhaps more. It must reek something awful, because the locals are already begging the government to remove it.

Pictures and videos of the decomposing beast are going viral on social media. Despite everybody’s interest in the creature, however, no one is quite sure what it is.

Some theorize it’s a giant squid. On its official Facebook page, the Indonesian Army itself has uploaded a video in which a man is seen describing the animal.

“A giant squid has washed ashore in the island of Seram, in Hulung village,” says the man on the video. “From the looks of it, it’s unclear how many people can fit in this creature. If it eats people. This is a rare animal. It’s length is more or less 10 meters... Fifteen… Fifteen meters.”

Others, however, are of the opinion that it’s a whale — likely a sperm whale or a humpback whale.

For instance, in a series of YouTube videos, a certain Patasiwa Kumbang Amalatu posits that the blob is a humpback wrapped in a blanket of its own decomposing flesh.

“This is a humpback whale,” stated Amalatu. “These aren’t tusks. This is its mouth, but it’s covered with decomposed skin.”

Museum officer Marcus Chua of the Lee Kong Chian Natural Hustory Museum agrees. He thinks it’s a probably a baleen whale, a whale subgroup that includes minke and humpback whales.

However, he too admits it’s difficult to say for certain what kind of animal it is.

“[Based] on the images and videos, in the advanced stage of decomposition it is not possible to determine whether that is a humpback whale or not,” explained Chua.

Upon death, enormous sea creatures usually float in the water until they’re scavenged by sharks and other carnivorous animals.

“Those that hit the shores either decompose along beaches, or may be removed by humans if they are perceived to be a health hazard or for scientific research,” stated Chua. — AT, GMA News