[Animals] The weirdest creatures to wash ashore

[MERNIZ]

Giant squid (Architeuthis dux) have inspired myths and legends for centuries, but a sighting is extremely uncommon. These gargantuan creatures are the world's largest invertebrates and have the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom. They inhabit deep water and rarely wash up on land. 

But in October 2013, a monstrous giant squid washed up on a Spanish beach. The tentacled behemoth measured 30 feet (9 meters) long and weighed 400 pounds (180 kilograms) — that's about the same weight as an adult brown bear. 

In 2020, an even larger giant squid turned up in Britannia Bay, South Africa. The specimen was remarkably intact, and was likely more than 13 feet (4 m) long and weighed over 660 pounds (330 kg), Live Science previously reported. 

Residents of the Oriental Mindoro province of the Philippines were baffled by the appearance of a huge hairy beast in May 2018. Before experts were able to examine and identify the body, onlookers named the 20-foot (6 m) carcass "the globster." As is to be expected of a gigantic rotting sea creature, the smell was pretty staggering. Scientists later explained that the blobby body was probably the remains of a whale, and that the hair-like strands covering it were most likely decomposing muscle fibers. 

The coast of South Africa became the scene of a watery whodunit in May 2017, when three great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) washed ashore. The puzzling part? They were all missing their livers, and one was missing its heart. Scientists performed necropsies on all three sharks, examining their injuries to uncover the cause of death.

Their detective work identified the likely culprit: orcas. Orcas (Orcinus orca), also called killer whales, are known to attack other shark species and eat their organs, and the sharks' injuries were consistent with their handiwork. Livers are a particularly choice snack for orcas because they're filled with fat and rich in nutrients. 

A fisherman found the body of a deep-sea anglerfish at Crystal Cove State Park in California in May 2021. It was a rare find as well as a startling one, since these fish usually lurk in dark water around 3,000 feet (914 m) below the surface and are kind of spooky-looking.