DNA Test Backs Theory Canadian 'Sea Monster' Is A Shark[Original headline: Sea monster tale all washed up
Likely just a shark]
ST. JOHN'S - It turns out the "monster" of Fortune Bay was just a fish after all.
Preliminary DNA test results indicate the sea creature that washed up on a beach near St. Bernard's recently was not a mammal and was most likely a basking shark, says Steve Carr, a biology professor at Memorial University in St. John's.
The results of conclusive tests, which compare the creature's DNA to that of a known basking shark, are expected next week.
"We can probably get a formal publication out of this for one of the natural histories that would be something along the lines of quick genetic tests for sea monsters," Mr. Carr said yesterday.
Often considered the ugliest member of the shark family, the basking shark is perhaps the most harmless as well.
Sometimes called a "filter fish," the shark usually feeds on plankton and eats nothing bigger than caplin.
Basking sharks are the second-largest shark species, the largest being the equally inoffensive whale shark.
They swim with their mouths constantly open, catching food through their bristle-like teeth.
Covered in what appeared to be white hair and measuring seven metres in length, the carcass caused a stir among local Fortune Bay fishermen.
"The Loch Ness monster, that's what we've got," said Terry Hodder, an inshore fisherman from St. Bernard's who sailed to Paltry to see the creature when it washed up on shore.
It's suspected, however, that the "white fur" was actually connective tissue that gives the appearance of hair during the decomposition process.
The carcass attracted onlookers and theories by the score as it rotted on Paltry beach, 200 kilometres west of St. John's near the municipal community of St. Bernard's.
The beached carcass weighed between three and four tonnes, despite missing its head and tail. Mr. Carr said the basking shark's gills extend so far around that it's easy for the head to fall off once decomposition begins.
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The Telegram, St Johns, NF via National Post, ON / Canada | Gary Hebbard - Aug 11 2001
Hairy 'Sea Monster' Identified As Basking Shark[Original headline: Mysterious 'sea monster' likely basking shark]
Fisherman puzzled by huge hairy stinky remains
Even veteran fishermen who thought they had seen everything from the depths of the ocean were calling it the "sea monster."
The decomposing and very stinky creature, seven-metres long and covered with what appeared to be matted white fur, washed up on a Newfoundland beach about 20 kilometres away from St. Bernard's on Tuesday.
"The hair is the biggest puzzle," Ed Hodder, the fisherman who found it, told a reporter. "What's hair doing on any kind of a fish?"
"We feel it's something strange," added fisherman Tom Steward. "It's no ordinary thing."
For some, the appearance of an unidentifiable creature was a vindication. Four years ago, a fisherman reported a strange sea creature in Fortune Bay with a long neck and scaly skin.
At least one marine biologist believed it could be the east coast version of dinosaur-like marine reptile called a Cadborosaurus, a Loch Ness-like creature that has been reported on the West Coast but never found.
On Tuesday, the fisherman who originally sighted the "sea monster" in 1997, couldn't say for sure if the carcass was the thing he saw. "But it certainly resembles that creature," said Charles Bungay.
Yesterday, marine experts at Memorial University in St. John's, about four hours away by car, said they had disappointing news. The sea monster is almost certainly a basking shark.
John Lien, leader of the university's whale research group, dispatched a technician to the beach yesterday to get samples of tissue and to determine if the creature had bones -- which would make it likely a whale -- or cartilage -- which would make it a shark.
"It's an interesting creature, but it's not a sea monster," he said yesterday, his hands still reeking from handling samples from the carcass.
Basking sharks, which can reach more than 10 metres in length, are the second largest sharks, after the whale sharks of the tropics. They're a benign species, living on plankton and are known to sometimes bump up against boats in their search for food.
"They just swim around all day long with their mouths open. The vacuum cleaner of the ocean," said Mr. Lien. "Some 20 years ago, we would catch them in salmon nets. It's as interesting as any sea monster I know."
The skin of the basking shark, which is usually as rough as sandpaper, looks stringy when it is decomposing. Mr. Lien said basking shark carcasses can drift around for weeks before being washed ashore.
Meanwhile, he has requested a DNA test to confirm his conclusion. And the town of St. Bernard's has attracted a lot of media attention, including a French camera crew who had heard about the 1997 sea monster sighting.
"Part of it's our fault. We're aways away and we didn't jump into our cars right away to have a look," said Mr. Lien.
"The ocean is a wonderful place. You're always hoping you'll see something you've never seen before."
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The Ottawa Citizen / ON | Joanne Laucius - Aug 2 2001
