A globster, also called a blob, is a mysterious mass made of living material that washes up on the beach or shore of an ocean or other large body of water. It is different from a regular dead animal that has washed ashore because it is difficult for people without special training to recognize at first, and it often causes debates about what kind of creature it might be.

History

The term "globster" was created by Ivan T. Sanderson in 1962 to describe a mysterious carcass found in Tasmania in 1960. This carcass was described as having "no visible eyes, no defined head, and no apparent bone structure." Other sources sometimes use the word "blob" to refer to similar discoveries.

Many globsters were first thought to look like large octopuses. However, further study showed they were often the remains of dead whales or large sharks. For example, the "Chilean Blob" from 2003 was found to be a mass of whale blubber that had separated from a decaying whale body. Some globsters, initially believed to be dead plesiosaurs, were later identified as the remains of basking sharks. Others remain unexplained. Giant and colossal squid may also explain some globsters, especially those that were first thought to be monster octopuses.

Some globsters were examined only after they had decayed so much that they seemed to be evidence of new species. Others were destroyed before analysis, such as the "Cadborosaurus willsi" carcass discovered in 1937. However, Canadian scientists studied the DNA of the Newfoundland Blob and found it was from a sperm whale. In their report, the scientists noted several similar features between the Newfoundland Blob and other globsters, suggesting they likely share a similar origin. Similar results have been found in studies of other globsters.

Notable globsters

The following is a list of carcasses described as globsters or blobs in scientific records, arranged in the order they were discovered:

• Stronsay Beast (1808)—thought to be a basking shark's body
• St. Augustine Monster (1896)—recognized as a whale's body
• Trunko (1924)—not identified
• Tasmanian Globster (1960)—recognized as a whale's body
• New Zealand Globster (1965)—recognized as a whale's body
• Zuiyo-maru carcass (1977)—probably a basking shark's body
• Bermuda Blob (1988)—recognized as a whale's body
• Nantucket Blob (1996)—recognized as a whale's body
• Bermuda Blob 2 (1997)—recognized as a whale's body
• Chilean Blob (2003)—recognized as a whale's body
• Montauk Monster (2008)—thought to be a partly decomposed racoon