Is
it a bird? Is it a fish? Or is it even a walrus?
Or
has a professional cameraman from Chorley chanced upon a
whole new species on the Lancashire coast while walking
his dog?
When
Martin Boardman went for a coastal stroll with his wife
Penny and pet trail hound Patch, he never expected it to
turn into a nationwide mystery that has puzzled park
rangers and zoologists alike.
Martin,
from The Grove, chanced upon the rotting carcass in a
secluded cove near Arnside and the photographs he took
have since flummoxed marine and other wildlife experts.
The
freelance cameraman, who is also a keen fisherman, said:
"We were walking the dog when we happened upon this
little cove and discovered this creature lying on the
rocks.
"It
was a bit of a mess and was badly decomposed. On first
sight I thought it was a porpoise, but then I saw a long
beak and was confused. But I think it's definitely a
mammal."
Scott
Davidson, displays manager at the Aquarium of the Lakes,
Lakeside, The Lake District, disagreed.
He
said he was pretty certain that Martin's mystery
creature was in fact a 10-arm cephalopod mollusc.
The
marine life expert said: "I reckon it's a squid and
its tentacles have rotted away. But it's a pretty big
example – they only normally grow to around 1ft.
"Where
you would presume the head is, you can see its beak and
where it would pump out water. And if it was decomposing
it would certainly have stunk – they're notorious for
that.
"What
was seen as flippers could just be part of the
decomposition. I'm 99% certain it is a squid."
Martin,
47, is now contemplating the possibility that if it is a
new species it might even end up named after him.
But
for now the Boardmanesis, Boardmanatee or perhaps even
the Boardmanemo, is the subject of an investigation that
has moved on to the Institute of Zoology, at Regent's
Park, London.
Martin's
mystery mammal was described as two and a half feet
long, with what he said was a "body like a sealion
but the bony head of a bird".
It
also had what appeared to be two flippers. The bottom of
the beak was thin and longer than the top and the
creature was a dark tan colour on its back but lighter
underneath.
Frank
Holding, a park ranger at Yarrow Valley Country Park,
Birkacre, Chorley, was puzzled when he was shown
Martin's photos.
He
said: "If an animal has been a long time in the
water it may be unrecognisable from its original state.
"In
my humble opinion I would have thought it was perhaps a
walrus pup. Its tusks would not normally show at that
age, but in this case the skin has decomposed."
Other suggestions included a penguin, seal, or even a
platypus.
But
Martin was unconvinced and called Blackpool's Sea Life
Centre whose bosses passed on details of a marine rescue
service.
Gail
Platt, from Chorley, a marine mammal medic with British
Divers Marine Life Rescue, said: "I couldn't make
out what it was, but thought it was more dolphin-like
than anything else."
Martin
added: "Gail's boss passed on details to Paul
Jepson, a zoologist based at London Zoo.
Based
on the description he too is stumped, but he is now
going to look at the photographs."
*
Can you help the Evening Post identify the mysterious
beast? Ring the newsdesk on 01772 838103 or e-mail: lep.newsdesk@lep.co.uk
with your theories.
