The Science of Sea Monsters

Found an interesting article from 9th of October and thought I'd share it with you guys.

Sea monsters are in the news and on television like never before. NBC has a hit show on Monday nights with "Surface," about a huge, terrifying aquatic creature, and sea monsters grace the cover of the December 2005 issue of National Geographic.

Scientists working in Patagonia, South America, recently found remains of a 13-foot beast with four-inch teeth. The creature, dubbed "Godzilla" by its discoverers, is a distant relative of today's crocodiles and lived about 135 million years ago.

Giant squid

Since men took to sea, stories of fearsome leviathans have haunted those brave enough to venture beyond dry land. The Kraken, a huge many-tentacled beast, was said to attack sailors on the open ocean and drag them to their watery deaths.

As fantastic as these monsters are, science has discovered a biological basis for some of these myths.

Biologists have verified the existence of a true sea monster: the mysterious and elusive giant squid Architeuthis. Dead specimens periodically wash up on the world's beaches, most often in Newfoundland and New Zealand. The largest giant squid specimen, found in New Zealand, was estimated to be 65 feet long.

On Sept. 30, 2004, Japanese zoologists Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori became the first to see and film a giant squid at depth [images were released this year]. The creature, about 26 feet long, was found at a depth of 2,953 feet (900 meters). The researchers, searching whale feeding areas in the North Pacific near the Ogasawara Islands, used bait and a remote camera to film the creature.

Globsters

Some suggest that huge, unidentified masses that occasionally wash up on beaches throughout the world are sea monsters. These finds, often called "globsters," are obviously flesh, yet have decayed so badly that they lack bones or distinguishing features....

READ MORE HERE

I think most "Gobsters" are probably just rotting whale carcasses but there may be a few who are not. I saw those pictures of that giant squid and man it scarred the (Censored for content) out of me.Imagine how ancient sailors felt when they first saw these up close. Ive heard that they kill whales sometimes. If that is true then they would have to be enormous. I think ill keep my feet on dry land for now.Great post Arawn

If you actually read the article:

In 2004, Pierce and his colleagues examined all available globster specimens using electron microscopes, and applied biochemical, molecular, and DNA analysis.

the samples matched exactly those of various species of great whales.

And their final conclusion:

Until hard evidence surfaces, truly unknown sea monsters will remain in the realm of fantasy and fiction.

So its a rather dissapointing article, lol.

Only disappointing if you believe in sea monsters with nasty sharp teeth.

The same with aliens, I will only be 100% sure of their existence if I witness something I can't explain.

These sea beasts have explanations...