What Is This Sea Creature?

A mystery sea creature with “fur and beak” washes up on a remote beach.

19:14 01 July 2015

A mystery, giant beast with “beak” like a bird and fur on its tail, has reportedly washed up on a beach, causing frenzy on Russian social media and baffling marine experts. 

 

The remains of mystery sea creature have been found on the shoreline of Sakhalin Island, a place that is closer to the United States than Moscow.  

 

The bloodied carcass has similarities to dolphins, is twice as large as human, and was described as prehistoric-like ‘mutant.’

 

Nikolay Kim, deputy head of the Forecasting Department at the Sakhalin Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, said he believed it to be "some big dolphin".

 

"According to a characteristic of the skin, it is a rare species," he said. "I doubt that it lived in our waters. Most likely, the animal was brought by a warm current."

 

"We often get tropical and subtropical species here and when they cool down they stay here and then die," Mr Kim continued.

 

"I can confidently say that this is some kind of a dolphin.

 

"However, it has fur. It's unusual. Dolphins do not have any fur."

 

Meanwhile, people who have seen pictures of the creature took to social media trying to figure out what it is. 

 

One said: "It looks like some mutant sea monster with a beak."

 

Some claim it resembles a Ganges River dolphin, normally found in freshwater in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.