Globster
A globster or blob is an unidentified organic mass that washes up on the shoreline of an ocean or other body of water. A globster is distinguished from a normal beached carcass by being hard to identify, at least by initial untrained observers, and by creating controversy as to its identity.
History
[edit]The term "globster" was coined by Ivan T. Sanderson in 1962[1] to describe the Tasmanian carcass of 1960,[2] which was said to have "no visible eyes, no defined head, and no apparent bone structure."[3] Other sources simply use the term "blob".[4][5]
Many globsters have initially been described as resembling gigantic octopuses,[6] though they later turned out to be decayed carcasses of whales or large sharks.[7]: 3 [4][8] As with the "Chilean Blob" of 2003, many are masses of whale blubber released from decaying whale corpses.[9]: 219 Others initially thought to be dead plesiosaurs, such as the Zuiyo-maru carcass, later turned out to be the decayed carcasses of basking sharks.[10][11]
Some globsters were examined only after they had decomposed too much and seemed to represent evidence of a new species, or were destroyed—as happened with the "Cadborosaurus willsi" carcass, found in 1937.[12] However, Canadian scientists did analyse the DNA of the Newfoundland Blob—which revealed that the tissue was from a sperm whale. In their resulting paper, the authors point out a number of superficial similarities between the Newfoundland Blob and other globsters, concluding a similar origin for those globsters is likely.[7]: 3–4 Analyses of other globsters have yielded similar results.[9]: 220 [13]
Notable globsters
[edit]
The following is a chronological list of carcasses that have been described as globsters or blobs in the literature:[14][15][16]
- Stronsay Beast (1808)—believed to be a basking shark carcass[17][18]
- St. Augustine Monster (1896)—identified as a whale carcass[9]: 229
- Trunko (1924)—not identified,[19][20] possibly a whale[21]
- Tasmanian Globster (1960)—identified as a whale carcass[22]
- New Zealand Globster (1965)—identified as a whale carcass[23]
- Zuiyo-maru carcass (1977)—most likely the carcass of a basking shark[24][25]
- Bermuda Blob (1988)—identified as a whale carcass[13]
- Nantucket Blob (1996)—identified as a whale carcass[13]
- Bermuda Blob 2 (1997)—identified as a whale carcass[13]
- Chilean Blob (2003)—identified as a whale carcass[13]
- Montauk Monster (2008)—believed to be a partially decomposed racoon[26][27][28]
See also
[edit]- Drift whale, a carcass that washes up on shore
- Exploding whale
- Panama Creature
References
[edit]- ↑ Newton, Michael (2009). Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra, and Other Elusive Creatures. ABC-CLIO/Greenwood. pp. 79–81. ISBN 978-0-313-35906-4.
- ↑ DeMello, Margo (2024-01-25). Bigfoot to Mothman: A Global Encyclopedia of Legendary Beasts and Monsters. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 241. ISBN 978-1-4408-7726-1.
- ↑ Roberts, Madison (2018-08-17). "Mysterious 'Sea Monster' Washes Up on Russian Beach". Time. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
- 1 2 Ellis, Richard (1997). Seeungeheuer: Mythen, Fabeln und Fakten (in German). Basel: Birkhäuser. doi:10.1007/978-3-0348-6082-6. ISBN 978-3-0348-6082-6.
- ↑ Maberry, Jonathan; Kramer, David F. (2007). The Cryptopedia: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange & Downright Bizarre. Citadel Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-8065-2819-9.
- ↑ Foxon, Floe (2024-03-21). "Heuvelmans the Heretic and Hidden Animals". Interdisciplinary Science Reviews. 49 (3–4): 339. Bibcode:2024ISRv...49..332F. doi:10.1177/03080188241233107. ISSN 0308-0188.
- 1 2 Carr, S. M.; Marshall, H. D.; Johnstone, K. A.; Pynn, L. M.; Stenson, G. B. (February 2002). "How To Tell a Sea Monster: Molecular Discrimination of Large Marine Animals of the North Atlantic". The Biological Bulletin. 202 (1): 1–5. doi:10.2307/1543217. ISSN 0006-3185. JSTOR 1543217. PMID 11842010.
- ↑ Radford, Benjamin (2014-05-21). "Globsters: Mysterious Marine Monster Masses". Live Science. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
- 1 2 3 Pierce, S. K.; Smith, G. N.; Maugel, T. K.; Clark, E. (April 1995). "On the Giant Octopus (Octopus giganteus) and the Bermuda Blob: Homage to A. E. Verrill". The Biological Bulletin. 188 (2): 219–230. doi:10.2307/1542087. ISSN 0006-3185. JSTOR 1542087. PMID 29281359.
- ↑ Kuban, Glenn J. (May–June 1997). "Sea-monster or Shark? An Analysis of a Supposed Plesiosaur Carcass Netted in 1977". Reports of the National Center for Science Education. 17 (3).
- ↑ Koster, John (November 1977). "New Zealand Sea Creature: Basking Shark or Plesiosaur?". Oceans Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
- ↑ Bousfield, Edward L. & Leblond Paul H. (2000). Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep. Heritage House Publishing.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Pierce, Sidney K.; Massey, Steven E.; Curtis, Nicholas E.; Smith, Gerald N.; Olavarría, Carlos; Maugel, Timothy K. (2004-06-01). "Microscopic, Biochemical, and Molecular Characteristics of the Chilean Blob and a Comparison With the Remains of Other Sea Monsters: Nothing but Whales". The Biological Bulletin. 206 (3): 133. doi:10.2307/1543636. ISSN 0006-3185. JSTOR 1543636. PMID 15198938. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23.
- ↑ Newton, Michael (2009). Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra, and Other Elusive Creatures. ABC-CLIO/Greenwood. pp. 79–81. ISBN 978-0-313-35906-4.
- ↑ Ellis, R. 1994. Monsters of the Sea. Robert Hale, London.
- ↑ Puig, Rebecca (2004-08-16). "A Whale of a Tale". Research.Online. University of South Florida. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
- ↑ "The story of the mysterious sea serpent of Stronsay". The Scotsman. 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
- ↑ Jenkins, Bill (2022-01-26). "The 'Stronsay Beast': testimony, evidence and authority in early nineteenth-century natural history". Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science. 77 (3): 493–4. doi:10.1098/rsnr.2021.0050. hdl:10023/25106. ISSN 0035-9149.
- ↑ "12 unidentified creatures that washed up on beaches around the world". news.com.au. 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
- ↑ Anderson, Brian (2011-11-16). "Globsters: Mysterious Organic Blobs". Vice. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
- ↑ Naish, Darren (2016-01-26). Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths. London: Arcturus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78428-191-5.
- ↑ Bromham, Lindell (2016-01-21). An Introduction to Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics (Second ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 26. doi:10.1093/hesc/9780198736363.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-873636-3.
- ↑ "'Whale' of a mystery is solved". Auckland Star. 24 March 1965. p. 1.
- ↑ Koster, John (November 1977). "What Was the New Zealand Monster?". Oceans. San Diego: Trident Publishers. pp. 56–59. Archived from the original (Reprint) on 2009-01-25 – via Missouri Association for Creation.
- ↑ Kuban, Glen J. (May–June 1997). "Sea-monster or Shark? An Analysis of a Supposed Plesiosaur Carcass Netted in 1977" (Reprint). Reports of the National Center for Science Education. 17 (3). ISSN 1064-2358.
- ↑ DeMello, Margo (2024-01-25). Bigfoot to Mothman: A Global Encyclopedia of Legendary Beasts and Monsters. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 241. ISBN 978-1-4408-7726-1.
- ↑ Terry, Christa (2024-07-01). "Why the Legend of the Montauk Monster Will Never Die". Observer. Retrieved 2026-07-06.
- ↑ "12 Bizarre creatures that washed up on beaches". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-07-06.