Something Smells Fishy

in #life6 years ago (edited)

According to locals of a small Russian village, some strange sea animal has washed up on their shores. Exactly what it is, no one seems to know. They describe the animal to be covered in "tube-like hair", but having no discernable head, mouth or eyes.

Read more and find more pictures HERE

To me, it looks like a bunch of bear pelts, piled up on a beach. But what do I know. Nevertheless, something doesn't seem right.

I'm no marine biologist, nor do I play one on TV, but I can use some logic. Biologically speaking, hair on an aquatic animal seems to be an evolutionary detriment, not an advantage. At least this kind of hair on an animal that lives exclusively in deep waters. It would slow the beast down when swimming and layers of fat have proven a better protection against cold, especially in deep, cold water.

If this were a real animal that no one seems to recognize, it's doubtful that it could be a land animal. Furthermore, it would have to be part of a fairly successful species to have survived and grown to such a large size. Nature isn't kind to things not well suited for survival in the environments in which they exist, and rewards those who are in tune with their environment, allowing them to grow big and healthy. How then, when it seems to not be well suited for deep sea survival nor recognizable as a land animal, did this "beast" come to wash up on a small, Russian village shore?

Yeah, something doesn't smell right with this. Something is definitely fishy, as they say. I wouldn't be surprised if this turns about to be a "Loch Ness monster" hoax, or easily explainable as some kind of land animal... but I have my money on hoax.

What do you think?

Image and story source: MSN/Daily Mail