Creatures, Myths & Legends

Could whale genitalia explain sea monster sightings ?

By T.K. Randall
April 17, 2022

Image: Jumping Humpback Whale
Credit: Zorankovacevic / CC BY-SA 2.5 (adapted) Tales of monstrous, multi-tentacled sea creatures and long-necked serpents have been told and written about by mariners for centuries and even today, some parts of the world - such as Scotland's Loch Ness - are said to be home to a mysterious aquatic denizen that science has yet to explain.

But are these sightings quite what they seem ?

According to Michael Sweet - a molecular ecology professor at the University of Derby, England - sightings of long-necked and tentacled sea monsters can be explained by way of something a lot more mundane - the genitalia of whales.Yes that's right - he claims that the "tentacled and alienesque appendages emerging from the water" in association with such sightings are actually whale penises.

Incredibly, the theory might actually serve to explain at least some of the sightings, albeit only those in locations frequented by whales (which certainly rules out Loch Ness.)

In the open ocean, however, there is some plausibility to the idea.

Still, it could also be argued that an experienced mariner should know the difference between a giant sea monster and the male appendage of a whale sticking out of the water...

Source: Huffington Post

Tags: Sea Monster, Whale