Mystery sea creature - with 'fur' and 'a beak' - washes up on remote Russian beach, baffling scientists

Some say the 'mutant' is a Ganges River dolphin - but are confused by its fur

(The Siberian Times)

A mystery sea creature – with a ‘long beak’ and ‘furry tail’ – is said to be baffling marine experts over the world after its carcass reportedly washed up on a beach along the east coast of Russia.

The Siberian Times says the unidentified sea animal was discovered by locals near Shakhtersk Airport on Sakhalin – a Russian island that is so far east, it is closer to America than Moscow.

Bloodied, torn apart and with bones protruding, scientists say they have yet to attempt to identify the strange prehistoric-like “mutant.”

The Times describes it as being “twice the size of a human being” with “a huge nose like a bird’s beak.”

(via The Siberian Times) (The Siberian Times)

Some people have taken to social media to say the remains belong to a Ganges River dolphin – which is normally found in freshwater in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh – but it’s the presence of fur on the creature’s tail that’s causing a fuss.

One social media user joked: “Probably, our summer is so cold that even the Indian dolphins getting into local waters are covered with fur.”

Deputy Head of the Forecasting department of the Sakhalin Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Nikolay Kim, said: “Judging by the appearance of the head, this is clearly some big dolphin. According to a characteristic of the skin, it is a rare species.

This Ganges River dolphin washed killed by local fisherman in Nepal in 2008 (via BHIM GHIMIRE/AFP/Getty Images) (BHIM GHIMIRE/AFP/Getty Images)

“I doubt that it lived in our waters. Most likely, the animal was brought by the warm current.

“We often get tropical and subtropical species here and, when they cool down, they stay here and then die.

“I can confidently say that this is some kind of a dolphin. However, it has fur. It’s unusual. Dolphins do not have any fur.”

For now, though, the mystery remains.