What Is This? Mysterious White Sea Creature Washes Up on Popular Beach Leaving Scientists Baffled (Photos)

A mysterious sea creature was found washed up on an Alaskan beach

Photos have shown the remains of a mystery sea creature washed up on a remote beach in Alaska has left scientists baffled.

According to a report by The Sun UK, Bjorn Dihle, a former commercial fisherman - made the bizarre discovery while kayaking in Berners Bay - nearly 40 miles from Alaska’s capital Juneau.

And though he initially thought it was a type of ray, he soon realised he'd found the innards of something huge.

  

He said: "When I got to the beach, I quickly realised it was the internal organs of something very large.

"The organs looked and felt like a decomposing liver, and smelt like a fish hold that hadn't been cleaned in a while - a bit like ammonia."

The unknown remains was five feet long

Experts say they can't be sure what Bjorn found without a tissue sample, but some think it may be the liver of a Pacific sleeper shark.

If that's true, however, it would be bigger than any that Bjorn  has dragged from the deep.

He said: "I've caught a handful of sleepers while commercial fishing for halibut but the biggest was only around eight feet.

"This individual must have been significantly larger. My first thought was whale guts as it was too large for any other marine mammal."

It's also unclear how the liver got separated from the sleeper - the species is typically found at depths of 6,600ft and has few known predators.

"I've heard rumours of sea lions killing sleeper sharks but I've also heard of the opposite," said Bjorn. "The truth is we know very little about sleepers.

"Killer whales certainly could have killed the animal. It's also possible a fisherman pulled the animal up on a long-line skate and then killed it."

Bjorn Dihle made the bizarre discovery while kayaking in Berners Bay

But if the shark was ripped apart by killer whales, it's strange that the liver - perhaps the safest part to eat - made it to the shore untouched, experts say.

"That's the weird part," said Bjorn. "I know some sharks can be toxic to eat, especially if not killed and bled in a certain manner.

"But I thought shark liver was nutritious. There were only a couple of sea gulls gingerly picking at it when we showed up.

"Normally when something good to eat washes up on the beach it quickly attracts a horde of scavengers."

Bjorn, author of Haunted Inside Passage which explores the supernatural legends and unsolved mysteries of Southeast Alaska, said the organ was five feet long.

Pacific sleeper sharks can reach lengths in excess of 23ft and often feed on giant Pacific octopuses, as well as porpoises, salmon and a host of smaller creatures.