CREATURE OF THE DEEP
Mystery as giant 50ft-long slimy sea beast washes up on remote Indonesian beach
Huge monster causes panic and army response with locals on Seram Island first thinking it was a stranded boat
A MYSTERIOUS sea creature the size of a cargo container washed up on a remote beach in Indonesia — baffling locals and sparking an army response.
The 50ft-long beast, which stunned onlookers first thought it was a stranded boat, had died in unknown circumstances before it was found on Tuesday.
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Government troops were called in to help clear the enormous remains after local Asrul Tuanakota, 37, found it at Hulung Beach on Seram Island.
Experts and residents were initially baffled by the giant mass, which was first spotted at night.
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But it was later reported to be the remains of a giant squid that had died at least three days earlier, said.
However, no one yet knows if the animal died of natural causes — or was killed by an even bigger beast.
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Experts say the maximum size of a giant squid is thought to be only 43ft for females and 33ft for males.
They are among the largest living organisms in the world — but are still hunted by predatory sperm whales.
It is not the first giant creature to shock the region in recent months.
In February, scientists and locals in the Phillipines were baffled by a 65ft-long "sea blob" that appeared on a beach.
After speculation it was an alien creature, the mass was later identified as a whale carcass.
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