Mysterious sea monster discovered in Spain is identified [View all]

[AsahinaKimi]

The mystery of the horned sea monster that washed ashore in Spain and caused widespread speculation as to its identity has been solved, and it isn’t what you might have thought.

Oarfish was a popular guess among those trying to figure out the identity of the strange sea creature that washed ashore at Luis Siret Beach in Villaricos, Spain, last week.

But as it turns out, the largely decomposed, 13-foot carcass was determined to be that of a shark, two leading shark experts concluded.

“That is definitely a shark skeleton,” Florida State University ichthyologist Dean Grubbs told NBC News. “The elements toward the back were confusing me, but those are the lower caudal fin supports. The ‘horns’ are the scapulocoracoids, which support the pectoral fins.”

Grubbs is an expert on the biology of fish species, particularly sharks.

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