TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A dead body of a monstrous creature was washed ashore in shallow waters of Seram, Maluku, a couple of days ago. According to Indonesian Academy of Sciences (LIPI), the carcass is said to be a baleen whale.
“It does resemble a baleen whale, but judging from its length which is around 22 meters, we suspect that it could be a blue whale or fin whale,” LIPI’s whale researcher Sekar Mira said Monday, May 15.
Sekar could not yet confirm what caused the whale to die in the Seram sea, where it was discovered, considering that whales are deep sea creatures.
Sekar further explained that the whale could have been driven out of its normal habitat because of food scarcity. “Most cases are caused by starvation. But it can also be caused by some disturbance in its original habitat or in the life cycle of its prey,” she says.
LIPI researchers were late in receiving the news of the beached carcass. The animal carcass’ status was already at code four, where its body has started to decompose. This hinders the team’s attempt in determining the cause of its death.
The carcass surprised the internet when it was first discovered. Many even claimed that it was a giant deep-sea squid type creature. But after a backbone was revealed in the carcass, George Leonard from the Ocean Conservancy confirmed that it was not a squid, but a whale.
EGI ADYATAMA | AMRI MAHBUB
