The decomposing carcass was probably a baleen whale. Gases inflated the creature. The island is close to whale migration routes. Bacterial infection or death in hot water the possible causes of 'monstrous' appearance.
Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Scientists have established the nature of the giant sea creature that beached last week in Indonesia, scaring the inhabitants of the island of Seram and attracting curiosity around the world.
George Leonard, a scientist at Ocean Conservancy, said the decomposing carcass was probably a mystical whale. The scholar has come to this conclusion by examining parts of the protruding skeleton and those that appeared to be baleen plates present in the mouth of some whale species and used to filter the food.
The decomposition gases inflated the creature into a form very little like a whale, and some of the gases coming out of the carcass are harmful. Seram, the largest island of the Maluku archipelago (Eastern Indonesia), is close to myrtle whale migratory routes, confirming the thesis. Local residents have asked the government to help remove the carcass.
Live Science states that dead whales usually sink into the ocean, providing food for a long time for the creatures that inhabit them. The scientific news website has theorized that the whale had a bacterial infection for which it produced more gas, or likely drowned in hot waters, allowing bacteria to accumulate and gas to bloat its body.