12 Mysterious Creatures Discovered After Tsunamis
With 95% of the world’s water left unexplored, it’s no surprise that natural disasters could cause curious creatures to rise from the depths.
1. Mussels & Starfish & Clams
A year after Japan’s tsunami, one of the first pieces of debris washed ashore the Oregon coast in June 2012. As the debris includes materials able to stay afloat for years and even decades, a new ecological process called mega-rafting introduces foreign flotsam with new, unsuspecting native networks.
2. The Two-Headed Porpoise
Near the murky waters of Hoek Van Holland, two frantic fishermen pulled up a mysterious porpoise off the coast of the Netherlands. The species of small-toothed whale was later confirmed as the first ever case of conjoined twin porpoises, marking the tenth known case of sea mammals consisting of whales and dolphins, also known as cetaceans.
3. The Faceless Fish
In the depths of the Tasman sea, somewhere between Tasmania and Australia, the faceless fish was discovered. This forty-centimeter-long creature with an alien-like body since has scientists baffled. As the mouth is situated on the underside of the fish, one cannot detect any form of eyes when looking at the animal head-on.
In addition, no mouth, nose, or gills can be seen on the faceless beast. Rather, it looks like a long, submarine-shaped animal rendering the two rear-ends of a fish.
4. The Beluga hybrid
Another strange find in the wake of devastation was a strange and scary hybrid creature. In what resembles a cross between a fierce shark and bubbly-faced beluga whale, researchers deemed this creature one of the most unusual finds ever.
5. The Oarfish Oracle
Along one of Philippine’s pristine beaches washed up several ten-foot-long sea serpents. In several cases, people have had sightings of oarfish prior to an earthquake and tsunami— such as those occurring in Japan, Chile, Haiti, and the Philippines.
6. The Shocked Sea Dragon
This one-eyed sea dragon remains a marine mystery— for when the petrified ocean animal washed up, it had a gaping mouth and protruding eye that cause speculators to assume the tsunami had shocked and terrified the unsuspecting creature.
This baffling beast bore the similarity of a tiny dragon, and when turned over, only revealed the one, bulging eye. To this day scientists have not disclosed what this floating victim might be.
7. The Unidentified Blob
Soon after the devastating tsunami struck Japan, a giant boulder of blubber washed ashore a beach in Indonesia. In the days following its arrival, the beast began to decompose as spectators congregated around the creature— many were horrified of the massive animal which bore no resemblance to anything ever seen before.
8. The Strange Floating Object
According to a reporter telecasting live after the 2011 tsunami, a suspicious floating object began swimming at what he claims: “The speed of light.”
9. A Freak in the Street
When an unknown sea creature was found in the middle of a street following a tsunami, researchers wondered why no other fish or sea life accompanied the remains. The entity was too different to be a whale or shark, yet the freakish fish bore a slight resemblance to both. According to witnesses, investigators took the creature captive and never released any further detail on its identity.
10. The Mysterious Mutant Fish
Rumors spread that the aftermath of such destruction had created some mutant marine creatures as well. After a fisherman sourced a bulbous sea beast with no teeth and a bulging brain in comparison to its small body.
11. The Dogfish
The creature appeared prehistoric with almost tusk-like appendages which protruded from its gaping mouth. Researchers seized the sea creature and no word has surfaced since.
12. The unidentified flying creature
This flying-smoke creature portrayed characteristics never been seen, with its ability to rise up into the air like smoke before vanishing altogether.
As water levels rose during the tsunami and victims rushed to grab their video recorders, the strange object appeared to be jumping from one rock to the other before making its ascent into the air.