'Monster' carcass washes ashore in New Zealand

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  New Zealand beachgoers were stumped by what they thought was a prehistoric creature that washed ashore recently.YouTube

A mysterious carcass washed ashore in New Zealand last week, fueling speculation about sea monsters and dinosaurs. The rotting animal was discovered by a group on four-wheel vehicles speeding along the beach in Bay of Plenty.

According to a story in New Zealand’s Sun Live newspaper, “beachgoers were stumped when they came across what they thought was a prehistoric creature on the shore … stretching about 9 meters [30 feet] in length with large teeth and rudimentary flippers.”

Video of the fearsome-looking animal was soon posted to YouTube, asking the public for help in figuring out what it was.

PHOTOS: Sea Monsters Real and Imagined

A marine biologist soon identified the remains as a killer whale, in part because of its distinctive flipper. The mystery was solved, but it’s not the first time an animal’s carcass has been mistaken for a monster. In fact, New Zealand is one of the most common places in the world — along with Newfoundland, Canada and Florida — for such “sea monsters” to appear.

The Science of Sea Monsters
Over the past centuries mysterious masses of marine flesh have occasionally washed ashore on beaches around the world. Dubbed “blobsters” (or simply “blobs”) these large carcasses are so badly decomposed there’s not enough material to make a definitive identification. To many people, the huge creatures — looking unlike any known animal — may seem like strong evidence for sea monsters or even existing dinosaurs.

In 1896, giant waves tossed a massive fleshy corpse on a beach at St. Augustine, Fla. The rubbery, 6-foot-high blob was examined by a local naturalist, who decided it was likely from a giant octopus far larger than any known type. Many other such blobs have been found, including the horror-film inspired “Chilean blob” (found in July 2003), a few “Bermuda blobs,” and another in Newfoundland in 2001.

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Controversy and mystery surrounded the creatures for decades. In 2004, a team of biologists led by Sidney Pierce examined all available blobster materials using electron microscopes, and applied biochemical, molecular and DNA analysis. The conclusion: The strange specimens were actually various species of great whales.

Though the identities of these mysterious monster carcasses are now known, marine mystery lovers need not fret. The oceans have not been fully explored, and it’s certain that the sea has not revealed all its secrets.

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'Monster' carcass washes ashore in New Zealand

• 

  New Zealand beachgoers were stumped by what they thought was a prehistoric creature that washed ashore recently.YouTube

A mysterious carcass washed ashore in New Zealand last week, fueling speculation about sea monsters and dinosaurs. The rotting animal was discovered by a group on four-wheel vehicles speeding along the beach in Bay of Plenty.

According to a story in New Zealand’s Sun Live newspaper, “beachgoers were stumped when they came across what they thought was a prehistoric creature on the shore … stretching about 9 meters [30 feet] in length with large teeth and rudimentary flippers.”

Video of the fearsome-looking animal was soon posted to YouTube, asking the public for help in figuring out what it was.

PHOTOS: Sea Monsters Real and Imagined

A marine biologist soon identified the remains as a killer whale, in part because of its distinctive flipper. The mystery was solved, but it’s not the first time an animal’s carcass has been mistaken for a monster. In fact, New Zealand is one of the most common places in the world — along with Newfoundland, Canada and Florida — for such “sea monsters” to appear.

The Science of Sea Monsters
Over the past centuries mysterious masses of marine flesh have occasionally washed ashore on beaches around the world. Dubbed “blobsters” (or simply “blobs”) these large carcasses are so badly decomposed there’s not enough material to make a definitive identification. To many people, the huge creatures — looking unlike any known animal — may seem like strong evidence for sea monsters or even existing dinosaurs.

In 1896, giant waves tossed a massive fleshy corpse on a beach at St. Augustine, Fla. The rubbery, 6-foot-high blob was examined by a local naturalist, who decided it was likely from a giant octopus far larger than any known type. Many other such blobs have been found, including the horror-film inspired “Chilean blob” (found in July 2003), a few “Bermuda blobs,” and another in Newfoundland in 2001.

NEWS: Ancient ‘Loch Ness Monster’ Suffered Arthritis

Controversy and mystery surrounded the creatures for decades. In 2004, a team of biologists led by Sidney Pierce examined all available blobster materials using electron microscopes, and applied biochemical, molecular and DNA analysis. The conclusion: The strange specimens were actually various species of great whales.

Though the identities of these mysterious monster carcasses are now known, marine mystery lovers need not fret. The oceans have not been fully explored, and it’s certain that the sea has not revealed all its secrets.

Related Stories

Before Babel? Ancient mother tongue reconstructed

Disputed dinosaur formally returned to Mongolia

East about to be overrun by billions of cicadas

Sun unleashes solar tsunami

View the original article here

Monster goldfish found in Lake Tahoe

A new kind of lake monster has been found, in the depths of Lake Tahoe: gigantic goldfish. Researchers trawling the lake for invasive fish species scooped up a goldfish that was nearly 1.5 feet long and 4.2 pounds.

"During these surveys, we've found a nice corner where there's about 15 other goldfish," environmental scientist Sudeep Chandra of the University of Nevada, Reno, told LiveScience. "It's an indication that they were schooling and spawning." The arrival of the fish, which were probably dumped there by aquarium owners, has Chandra worried — goldfish are an invasive species that could interfere with Lake Tahoe's ecosystem.

It's unclear whether the giant fish were introduced as fully grown adults, or while they were still small, Chandra said. But even a small creature can have a big impact, if there are enough of them.

'We've found a nice corner where there's about 15 other goldfish.'

- Environmental scientist Sudeep Chandra of the University of Nevada, Reno

The goldfish are just one of several species of invasive warm-water fishes in Lake Tahoe. "The invasion is resulting in the consumption of native species," Chandra said. What's more, the invasive fish excrete nutrients that cause algal blooms, which threaten to muddy Tahoe's clear waters. [Photos: Giant Goldfish & Other Freaky Fish]

Fish out of water
Aquarium dumping has become a common practice in the United States and elsewhere, and it's taking a toll on native wildlife. A recent reporton California's aquarium trade found that fish owners and importers are introducing hardy, nonnative aquatic species to California waters. "Globally, the aquarium trade has contributed a third of the world's worst aquatic and invasive species," Williams, who was lead author of the report, told OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site of LiveScience, in January.

While the exact number of aquarium owners dumping fish is unknown, scientists know the practice is occurring because these species could not have ended up in these waters naturally. Between 20 percent and 69 percent of fish keepers surveyed in Texas admitted to dumping, according to Williams.

Other ways that invasive species find their way into natural ecosystems include aquaculture, live seafood, live bait, and fishing and recreation vessels. More than 11 million nonnative marine organisms representing at least 102 species arrive at ports in San Francisco and Los Angeles alone, Williams has found.

The invaders include tropical fish, seaweed and snails. One of the nastiest is a deadly type of seaweed known as Caulerpa. A type of algae that produces toxic compounds that kill off fish, Caulerpa was eradicated in 2000 (at great expense) from lagoons in Southern California.

Aquarium owners should be more careful when disposing of unwanted fish and other animals, Williams cautioned. "It's pretty simple: Don't dump your fish," she said. Instead, she suggests calling the pet shop that sold the fish or your state department of fish and wildlife. (Euthanasia is another option, but simply flushing fish down the toilet can be problematic — for the fish and for your plumbing.)

So why do people dump fish? Studies of dumping have shown that size and aggressiveness of the fish are two main factors, Williams said.

The largest pet goldfish, according to the BBC, was a fish named Goldie that was 15 inches long and weighed more than 2 pounds.

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View the original article here