Mysterious giant sea monster found off the coast of Indonesia

Locals initially assumed the 15m beast was a "boat" in the dark

The carcass of a giant sea creature has been discovered after it washed up in Maluku on the Indonesian island of Seram

The 15m-long beast was first spotted by 37-year-old local resident Asrul Tuanakota, according to Beritasatu.com.

Tuanakota initially mistook the dead sea creature for a boat in the dark, but quickly discovered it was something much stranger.

The cause of death of the behemoth, which looks like some kind of mythical sea monster, is a mystery. It is thought to have passed away at least three days prior to washing up on the shore.

Originally thought to be a giant squid, others have posited it might be another creature entirely. A co-ordinator of Indonesia’s Marine and Coastal Resources Management said it was likely to be a whale, according to Storyful.

Lab tests are underway to confirm the species.

In the meantime, locals have been flocking to Hulung Beach in West Seram to see the mysterious remains.

It isn’t the first creature from the depths to leave spectators flummoxed. In July 2015, a beast with a ‘long beak’ and ‘furry tail’ reportedly washed up on a beach along the east coast of Russia.

The discovery was said to baffle marine experts across the globe. 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.

“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.”

The 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.