Dear All,

In a jolt of déjà-vu, I came to the realization that Chile may have played
host to the long-awaited return of the "St. Augustine Sea Monster."

Read about this bit of cryptozoology (apocrypha) at
<http://www.jaxshells.org/0715a.htm>. References on request.

Harry


On Wed, 2 Jul 2003 15:18:05 -0400 "Monfils, Paul" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

Giant sea creature baffles Chilean scientists  Wednesday, July 2, 2003
Posted: 1:32 PM EDT (1732 GMT)  SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) -- Chilean
scientists were baffled on Tuesday by a huge, gelatinous sea creature found
washed up on the southern Pacific coast and were seeking international help
identifying the mystery specimen. The dead creature was mistaken for a
beached whale when first reported about a week ago, but experts who went to
see it said the 40-foot-long (12-meter) mass of decomposing lumpy grey
flesh apparently was an invertebrate.  "We'd never before seen such a
strange specimen, We don't know if it might be a giant squid that is
missing some of its parts or maybe it's a new species," said Elsa Cabrera,
director of the Center for Cetacean
Conservation in Santiago. Photographs showed a round leathery substance
like a mammoth jelly fish, about as long as a school bus. Giant squid live
at a depth of 9,500 feet (3,000 meters) and only rise to the surface when
they die. Specimens have been known to be as long as 60
feet (18 meters). There was speculation that the mass might be a whale
skin, but Cabrera said it was too big and did not have the right texture or
smell. Cabrera said she was contacting Chilean and international
organizations in the hope that they could help shed some light on the find.




Harry G. Lee
Suite 500
1801 Barrs St.
Jacksonville, FL 32204
USA
Voice: 904-384-6419
Fax: 904-388-6750
<[log in to unmask]>
Visit the Jacksonville Shell Club Home Page at:
www.jaxshells.org

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