Tasmanian Globster
The Tasmanian Globster was a large unidentified carcass that washed ashore 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) north of Interview River in western Tasmania, in August 1960. It measured 20 ft (6.1 m) by 18 ft (5.5 m) and was estimated to weigh between 5 and 10 tons. The mass lacked eyes and in place of a mouth, had "soft, tusk-like protuberances". It had a spine, six soft, fleshy 'arms' and stiff, white bristles covering its body.
The carcass was identified as a whale by L.E. Wall in the journal Tasmanian Naturalist in 1981,[1] and a later electron microscopy analysis of the collagen fibers confirmed this.[2]
The term globster was coined in 1962 by Ivan T. Sanderson to describe this carcass and the name Sea Santa, coined by another journalist in the same year.
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References
- Harris, J.M. 2005 "Mammal Records from the Tasmanian Naturalist" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-12. The Tasmanian Naturalist 127: 20-41
- Pierce, S., S. Massey, N. Curtis, G. Smith, C. OlavarrÃa & T. Maugel 2004. "Microscopic, Biochemical, and Molecular Characteristics of the Chilean Blob and a Comparison With the Remains of Other Sea Monsters: Nothing but Whales" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-25. Biological Bulletin 206: 125-133