The carcass of an unknown creature has been discovered on a beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The body of the creature, since named the "Beast of Tenby," was found by local resident Peter Bailey, who came across it during a walk:
"I was taking my dog for her evening walk across the south beach when she started acting out of character by howling and running around in circles," Bailey says. "I ran up to her to see if she was ok and then I came across this hideous looking carcass. I could see it had little hair left on its decomposing body. Immediately I thought it was a horse but it had claws like a bear and a body of a pig. Surprisingly it didn't smell."
The creature is about 3.3 feet long and has a beak, claws and almond-shaped eyes. An image of the animal went viral after the Western Telegraph posted it to its Facebook page. The site's users have posted numerous guesses as to what kind of animal it might actually be, from a wild boar to a sea lion.
"It was a disgusting-looking thing," Bailey says. "My first impression was that it had the face of a horse, the claws of a bear and the body of a pig."
Swansea University's College of Science professor Dr. Dan Forman says it is "difficult to say" what exactly the creature is, but suggests that its five toes means that it could be a badger. Others claim it could be a dog whose body became bloated due to a long period of time spent in the water.
"We did get a call Friday evening to say a Jack Russell had been washed up on Tenby's South Beach but our staff couldn't find it," says Pembrokeshire council spokesman Len Mullins.
The creature brings to mind other discoveries such as the Brooklyn Bridge "monster" found in July 2012 and the "Montauk Monster" that was found on Long Island beach in July 2008. It was believed that these two creatures may be related to each other, and some are speculating that the "Beast of Tenby" may be another relative.
