Hi All,

got these pics from DOC officer (dept conservation) this blob washed ashore 22nd Dec on Oreti Beach near Invercargill (VERY southern NZ). They were sent to me in case it was a squid...........but it doesn't look squiddish to me! It looked mammalish! What do you think?

J

more!

and more

and yet more!

even more, the second one looks like decomposing blubber to me!!!

Grody... let us know when you figure out what it was.

Dead whale, doesn't look like basking shark material to me...

It's a decayed sperm whale melon. Betcha a bag of peanuts.

The Second I saw it I thought Whale blubber.

It's a decayed sperm whale melon. Betcha a bag of peanuts.

Would those be dry-roasted and salted? I won't accept your bet however. Definitely have to go with the whale theory.

I'll go with Whale remains aswell.

just to buck the trend, I'm going to go with "sentient alien fungus."

It's a decayed sperm whale melon.

Have you been cleaning out your fridge again?

Betcha a bag of peanuts.

Honey roasted?

Well, I am definitely leaning toward something that doesn't decay rapidly like blubber or fat. I have to say, I don't think I would put my keys that close to a dead animal for scale, I would have found something else :yuck:.

Here's an article on how to identify blobs and globsters...
http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/content/full/202/1/1

It's quite clearly dropped it's keys and wallet. Can't you look inside the wallet and see if there is some sort of ID?

I'll go with whale, a white whale, his spout was a big one, like a whole shock of wheat, and white as a pile of Nantucket wool after the great annual sheep-shearing; he fan-tailed like a split jib in a squall, I reckon

Our cetacean guy confirmed 'twas a whale! but a very very very decayed one, to decayed to give species!

J

I would certainly vouch for Phil's theory of the sperm whale melon, the "blobettes" sticking out of the main blob, these sort of fingerlike appendages, are most likely the "junk" that's underneath the spermaceti containing reservoir. As it's partitioned by connective tissue, which is hardest to decay, I would put my money on it.

You're very likely right, but we never got down to see it and he wasn't prepared to go any further without seeing it 1st hand.

J

its gross.... with that answer i cant be wrong

its gross.... with that answer i cant be wrong

Oh yes and I'm sure it reeked to high heaven as well!

J

if i saw that laying on the beach... i def. would not walk up to it... id do the complete opposite!

It's quite clearly dropped it's keys and wallet. Can't you look inside the wallet and see if there is some sort of ID?.:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

whale skin can't come off intact. not even artificially

is it me or does it look like a giant cuttlefish?

It is you :wink:

how can it be a whale mellon? how would you remobe a whale mellon without a really really really really big hacksaw. and i don't think that there is a hacksaw big enough, and like i said before whale skin cannot come off in tact. whatever it is it looks really disgusting, and probably smells really really really really bad:bonk: (thats my favorite smilie)

It is a natural process called rotting; you don't need a hacksaw if you can have bacteria take care of the dirty work :smile: The connective tissues in a (sperm) whale's melon are extremely resistant to decay and quite often the last to go. Because of its high oil content, the melon will float, whereas the heavy skull will drop off and sink towards the abyss with the rest of the skeleton.

A fair number of "globsters" have been identified this way, supported by DNA matching.

Shark skin is even tougher and harder to remove from a (fresh) carcass than whale skin is, yet have a look at these washed up rotted carcasses!

Porpise? Beluga?

If you mean what's in the pictures, it says BaskingShark.

If you're wondering what other animal remains look like, then I don't think I can help you on that one (not a big fan of dead and decaying animal image collecting)

LOOKS LIKE ONE HUGE SEAGULL DROPPING!!! ... oh yeah, or a whale...