A resident of the city of Yeppun, located in the eastern part of the Australian state of Queensland, discovered a mysterious sea creature washed ashore last Sunday, which has baffled local authorities (see video below).
At first, 47-year-old Sherri Simmons, walking after low tide along Mulambin Beach with her French Bulldog, decided that it was just a big snag.
“I thought it was a large piece of petrified wood,” she said. “But when I got closer, I realized that it was some kind of creature. I poked it with a stick and it felt soft to the touch."
The shocked woman took several shots of the strange remains, in which she could not find any familiar features, except for a small fin.
As is often the case with such mysterious creatures found on beaches around the world, Sherri's photographs have sparked a heated debate about what it really is. First on the list were the dolphin or dugong, a mammal from the order of sirens.
“The dead animal in the photograph may well be a marine mammal. But due to decomposition and limited information, it is difficult to determine which species it belongs to,”said officials from Australia's Department of Environment and Science, who suggested it could be shark liver.
Police officers who examined the entire beach found no other remains that may have been washed away with the current.
Voronina Svetlana
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