The decomposed body of an unidentified beast has been found washed up on a beach in Malaysia.
The swollen carcass was first spotted by officials on Friday (5 April) while they were surveying Teluk Melano Beach in the town of Lundu, Live Sciencereports.
Local disaster agency the Sarawak Civil Defence Force (APM), then announced the strange discovery via a Facebook post, inviting an influx of theories as to what it could be.
Onlookers have flocked to get a glimpse of the monster themselves since sightings of beached marine mammals are rare in this area, according to local newspaper the New Sarawak Tribune.
Of course, the reality is most likely pretty grimly prosaic, with experts concluding that it is most likely the remains of a whale.
Is it a rotten whale or something else entirely?(APM Sarawak/Facebook)
However, the so-called “globster” – an unidentified mass of marine flesh – is reminiscent of other enigmatic creatures that have been discovered on beaches across the world.
Among these was a white, mermaid-like creature that appeared in Papua New Guinea in September of last year.
The body was so badly decomposed that scientists were unable to identify it, although it appeared to be a marine mammal of some kind, Live Science notes.
The white lump of rotten flesh left experts totally stumped(New Irelanders Only/Facebook)
Of course, the deep sea has always been a source of mystery and mythology, with mariners throughout history claiming to have encountered everything from sirens to Scylla.
Folklore and legend aside, this latest discovery simply serves as further proof that our oceans have many hidden stories to tell.
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