Mysterious Mummified Creature Discovered in the Ocean
A strange mummified carcass washed ashore on the coast of South Carolina, baffling local residents who stumbled upon it.
The creature resembled an ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that became extinct around the middle of the Earth's history and lived during the time of the dinosaurs.
Remains of a Prehistoric Monster Found Mummified in the Sand
Recently, beachgoers in South Carolina encountered the remains of a spine-chilling, skeletal-like creature on the shore. The remains were found on January 13th of last month but appeared to have washed up much earlier, as indicated by signs of mummification. Initially, the desiccated remains seemed representative of the ichthyosaurids, marine reptiles extinct for about 100 million years, but it was soon determined that the odd-looking creature's origins had a far more mundane explanation.
The bizarre find was reported to the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network (LMMN), a marine research and conservation organization, on January 14th through a call about the discovery near Hilton Head Island, according to the organization's Facebook post. Following the tip, LMMN volunteer Amber Kuehn, a marine biologist with the Hilton Head Island Sea Turtle Patrol, investigated the site to examine the remains and collect skin and tooth samples.
After examination, the marine biologist concluded that the dead creature was the remains of an adult common dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) measuring 2.4 meters in length.
The Reason Behind the Dolphin's Death Remains a Mystery
"The body wasn't actually mummified," stated LMMN's expert, Kuehn. "It had simply decomposed. However, the extent of decay was unusually high," she added. Kuehn believes the carcass could be several weeks old, while Erich Hoyt, a researcher with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) in the UK and author of various cetacean books, suggested to Live Science that the remains might even be months old. "It seems the body was completely dried out since it was continuously exposed to sunlight in a dry environment," explained Hoyt. He noted it was unusual for the body to dry out to such an extent while remaining intact an observation he linked to the fact that marine scavengers typically strip such remains to the bone very quickly. The mummified dolphin may have dried out elsewhere before drifting ashore on Hilton Head Island, LMMN representatives wrote, but this is challenging to confirm posthumously.
Bottlenose dolphins have previously been observed in small groups hunting for schools of fish in the shallow coastal waters of South Carolina. The shallow waters, sometimes only one to two meters deep, can be dangerous for dolphins due to the risk of stranding. It is thus possible that this is what befell the deceased dolphin. "However, this is just one theory which lacks evidence," said Hoyt. Strandings are less characteristic for bottlenose dolphins compared to their distant relatives, the larger pilot whales (Globicephala spp.).
Remains of a Prehistoric Monster Found Mummified in the Sand
Recently, beachgoers in South Carolina encountered the remains of a spine-chilling, skeletal-like creature on the shore. The remains were found on January 13th of last month but appeared to have washed up much earlier, as indicated by signs of mummification. Initially, the desiccated remains seemed representative of the ichthyosaurids, marine reptiles extinct for about 100 million years, but it was soon determined that the odd-looking creature's origins had a far more mundane explanation.
The bizarre find was reported to the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network (LMMN), a marine research and conservation organization, on January 14th through a call about the discovery near Hilton Head Island, according to the organization's Facebook post. Following the tip, LMMN volunteer Amber Kuehn, a marine biologist with the Hilton Head Island Sea Turtle Patrol, investigated the site to examine the remains and collect skin and tooth samples.
After examination, the marine biologist concluded that the dead creature was the remains of an adult common dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) measuring 2.4 meters in length.
The Reason Behind the Dolphin's Death Remains a Mystery
"The body wasn't actually mummified," stated LMMN's expert, Kuehn. "It had simply decomposed. However, the extent of decay was unusually high," she added. Kuehn believes the carcass could be several weeks old, while Erich Hoyt, a researcher with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) in the UK and author of various cetacean books, suggested to Live Science that the remains might even be months old. "It seems the body was completely dried out since it was continuously exposed to sunlight in a dry environment," explained Hoyt. He noted it was unusual for the body to dry out to such an extent while remaining intact an observation he linked to the fact that marine scavengers typically strip such remains to the bone very quickly. The mummified dolphin may have dried out elsewhere before drifting ashore on Hilton Head Island, LMMN representatives wrote, but this is challenging to confirm posthumously.
Bottlenose dolphins have previously been observed in small groups hunting for schools of fish in the shallow coastal waters of South Carolina. The shallow waters, sometimes only one to two meters deep, can be dangerous for dolphins due to the risk of stranding. It is thus possible that this is what befell the deceased dolphin. "However, this is just one theory which lacks evidence," said Hoyt. Strandings are less characteristic for bottlenose dolphins compared to their distant relatives, the larger pilot whales (Globicephala spp.).
