Mystery abounds as photos of an unusual creature discovered on an Australian beach captivate internet audiences worldwide.
The creature, bearing a stark resemblance to what one might label a “mermaid alien“, was found on Keppel Sands, Queensland, prompting a flurry of speculations about its identity.
Bobbi-Lee Oates, 34, first introduced this baffling find to the public through a post in the Marine Biology Facebook group.
“It was exactly like a mermaid shape,” Oates recounted, describing her encounter with the peculiar remains during her beach stroll in search of a campsite.
Recalling her initial surprise, Oates said, “We were driving along the beach and we couldn’t help but notice how much the skull looked to be in the shape of a human’s. The confusion as to what this could possibly be, and why it appeared like a human skull, made us stop instantly.”
The photos provided by Oates paint a fascinating image of the creature, boasting a dome-shaped humanoid skull, ribs splayed outward, and an overall structure reminiscent of the alien from “Predator.”
The mysterious entity, estimated to be six feet long, exhibited a human-shaped skull with an elongated jawline and fur reminiscent of a cow or kangaroo, though with patches missing due to decomposition.
Oates further described, “It was exactly like a mermaid shape, but hairy, as it seemed to have a tail or limb of some sort.”
Shocked at the human-like characteristics of the find, she initially wondered if she had stumbled upon a new species.
In her quest to identify the puzzling find, Oates turned to the wisdom of the online crowd, inquiring, “Wondering if anyone has any idea what it is or who I could possibly get to find out exactly what it is.”
Responses varied widely, with theories ranging from marine animal to mythical creature.
Some, with a sense of humor, suggested the remains were of a “mermaid” or “siren.”
Yet, amidst the fanciful conjectures, some offered more grounded explanations, positing that it might be a “dead seal/sea lion,” or possibly a “dolphin of some sort.”
Among the more professionally inclined opinions was that of Rob Deaville, Project Manager for the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme at the Zoological Society of London.
After reviewing the photos, Deaville suggested, “Definitely looks like a small cetacean to me. I’m not familiar with the area nor which species are normally found there, so can’t really take it any further than that.”
Despite the myriad of theories, Oates is yet to find a definitive answer. “I still have not found out what it was,” she confessed. “I was hoping someone would comment saying what it was, but the comments were all so different.”
This is not the first time that the internet has been collectively stumped by an unusual beach find.
A similar frenzy was sparked when a South African man shared photos of what appeared to be aliens emerging from the sea.
While the truth behind Oates’ discovery remains elusive, the fascination it inspires testifies to the enduring human curiosity and our yearning to unravel the mysteries of the natural world.