Update: Mystery Is Beached

Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 17th, 2007

In the earlier posting on the “Giant Mystery Turtle Photos”, I hinted at the possible answer to this. Comment makers came through with the final proof.

Please compare these first two photos of the supposed “Giant Mystery Turtle” to the one at the bottom:

Giant Sea Turtle

Giant Sea Turtle

The “mystery photos” appear to reflect very favorably to the following image of a humpback whale in the initial stages of decomposition:

Humpback Whale

Jodzilla’s original photo source is here (3rd image down):

Big Sur Chamber of Commerce
Humpback Whale Watching in Big Sur California
http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/whalehumpback.html

Caption: Park Ranger Linda Rath standing next to dead, beached Humpback whale. Photo taken on June 25, 2006.

The whale was beached in Andrew Molera State Park on June 23, 2006. The BSCoC page also has a video shot on June 26 [YouTube link].

I’d say this rotting story has been beached.

But, of course, it doesn’t mean that Giant Turtles might not still be out there.

Thanks for the photo forwarded by jodzilla, and additional info from cenoxo.

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.


18 Responses to “Update: Mystery Is Beached”

  1. dogu4 responds:

    Nice photo…Golden Gate Nat’l Rec Area, I’d reckon…from earlier this year? Wonder if the two humpbacks currently inside the SF Bay are in anyway connected with it.

  2. dialthree responds:

    I’m pretty sure that photo was taken in Big Sur, Ca.

  3. Richard888 responds:

    Insight.

    I bet the black peely stuff in the mystery photo isn’t a sunburn but residual skin which as we see in the fresh carcass photo is black.

    Then the oozy white and orange stuff would be nothing other than blubber. See how easy it is to debunk a decomposed whale corpse?

  4. pterodactyl responds:

    All this talk of gigantic Sea Torti makes me wonder if anyone of you young fellas remember a great (but odd) TV movie from back in the 70s.

    It was called “Bermuda Depths” and had a nice crypto flavor throughout its storyline. I’m sure Loren remembers.

    It was also the first time I had ever heard the name Jennie Hanniver used.

    Another funny thing about it was that it was written and directed by the same guy who did the animated children story “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (Arthur Rankin Jr.) which had the goofiest Abominable Snowman I have ever seen.

    Great movie! Bet you can’t rent this one.

    Karl

  5. Mnynames responds:

    The black bits would also have been above water, making it harder for the marine critters to nibble on, which would be why they lasted longer than other portions of skin…

  6. Mnynames responds:

    OMG, Pterodactyl, I LOVED that movie as a kid! Never knew the name of it until now, thanks a lot for that! Just did a Google search for it. Funny, I always remembered it more as a love story than a monster movie. Don’t really remember it having a sad ending either…

  7. dogu4 responds:

    Yeah, Big Sur…should have provided a nice feast for the condors there. Now that’s a happy ending.

  8. Bob Michaels responds:

    Where are the Japanese Whale Hunters, they are always looking to buy newly killed whales, Giant Bluefin Tuna and other endangered marine species.

  9. kamoeba responds:

    I actually have “Bermuda Depths” (1978) on VHS. The only movie you’ll ever find with Connie Selleca, Carl Weathers and Burl Ives (and a giant Archelon-type sea turtle). It was indeed a co-production between America’s Rankin/Bass and Japan’s Tsuburaya Pro (the fine folks responsible for “Ultraman”). These two companies also co-produced the dinosaur-living-in-a remote-area-of-the-modern-world movie “The Last Dinosaur” (1977-with Richard Boone and Joan Van Ark) and the capture-of-a-heretofore-unknown-rare-white-ape movie “The Ivory Ape” (1980-with Jack Palance). All three films would be interesting to crypto-fans, although unfortunately I believe none of them are legally available in North America on VHS or DVD.

  10. simianfever responds:

    “The Bermuda Depths”!

    I never knew the name of that movie! Holy memories from youth. My brother and I definitely caught this flick at some point in the late 70s or early 80s as kids on TV. Just like Mnynames I recall it being more of a love story than anything else. The only scene I can recall is a pearl necklace or other trinket falling into the sea and dropping past the giant turtle at the end.

    While we are on the topic of giant sea beast movies, what was the one with the giant Manta Ray? I wanna say Black Pearl, but not positive.

    Thanks for the memory, pterodactyl!

  11. Grant responds:

    There’s a company called “Treeline” that seems to specialize in sets of obscure horror and SF movies, from all decades, in very cheap sets of 25 or even 50 (and in perfectly good condition, in spite of the prices, judging by the two sets I have). It wouldn’t be impossible for Bermuda Depths, or any of the others mentioned here, to show up in one of those.

  12. mitchigan responds:

    Pterodactyl, The abominable snowman in Rudolph was actual footage taken in the Himalayas. Not as much a threat now days since Herbie pulled all his teeth out. Little known fact it was Bob Heironimus in a suit. His acting career was hot in the 1960’s.

  13. Tobar responds:

    Weird, it looks like the ship from Flight of the Navigator.

  14. mystery_man responds:

    Just goes to show how much a decomposed known animal can become so unrecognizable as to become something unknown. It reminds me of the “globsters” that have been found around the world, many of which were proven to be whale carcasses, something markedly less mysterious than what was originally claimed.

  15. Kelly responds:

    Anybody for some fresh whale jerky? The top picture looks like the jerky is curing deliciously on the whales “back”. Just strip and eat!!

  16. Richard888 responds:

    Now that the giant mystery turtle thing has come to its lowest point all I can say is that I am extremely intrigued by this story. Can the captain or anyone else on board be located for an interview?

    by Robsquach:
    Oh yeah I forgot to mention. My Dad and I seen a Sea Turtle that same size back in 1989 about 10 miles off the coast of Washington State. We were headed back into port after deep sea bass fishing and this huge thing ahead of our charter boat was slowly bobbing up and down moving towards the shore. Everyone was yelling “Whale! Whale!” Then when the captain came along side the creature everyone was shocked to see it was a gigantic Sea Turtle! I could not believe my eyes, it was every bit as big as the charter boat we were on. I kid you not, this thing looked like a damn dinosaur in the water. This happened right outside the town of Westport Washington.

  17. Mike U. responds:

    Well, it sure would make for an interesting day at the beach if a turtle that size hauled out in front of you.

    A there really sightings of animals like this?

  18. edgarleon responds:

    the first two photos don’t seem to be taken on the same spot the third is

Sorry. Comments have been closed.

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