Trunko
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Trunkowhale.JPG
Trunko is a nickname given to a currently unrecognized animal that was sighted in Margate, South Africa. According to an article published in the December 27, 1924 edition of London's Daily Mail, which was entitled "Fish Like A Polar Bear", the event occurred on October 25, 1924. The animal was first seen off the coast while battling two whales, which fought the unusual creature for a period of 3 hours. During this time, the creature used its tail to attack the whales and even lifted itself out of the water by about 20 feet. One of the witnesses, Hugh Ballance, described the animal as looking like a "giant polar bear". After the fight, the animal died.
Later that night, the creature's carcass washed up on Margate Beach. Witnesses described the animal as possessing snowy-white fur, an elephantine trunk, and a lobster-like tail. The carcass was also noted as being devoid of blood. Measurements of the body were taken, which revealed the animal to be 47 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 5 feet high, with the trunk's length being 5 feet, the trunk's diameter being 14 inches, the tail being 10 feet, and the fur being 8 inches long. The trunk appeared to be attached directly to the animal's body, as no head was visible on the carcass. For this feature, the animal was dubbed Trunko. After a period of 10 days lying on the beach, the tide swept in and carried the body out to sea.
Interestingly, another news article published about the creature seems to give contradictory information. Featured on the front page of the March 27, 1925 edition of the Charleroi Mail, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania was an article entitled "Whales Slain By Hairy Monster". In accordance with this report, the whales were killed by the creature. Exhausted, the strange animal washed up on the beach and fell unconscious. After apparently resting for a period of 10 days, the animal made its way back into the ocean and swam away.
As far as it is known, no scientist came to investigate the carcass while it was beached. Also, no photographs of the animal have turned up. This animal is considered to be a cryptid, which has been studied in the controversial scientific field of cryptozoology.
External links
- Trunko article on American Monsters (http://64.207.147.134/monsters/carcass/index.php?detail=article&idarticle=61)
- Kryptid's Keep (http://www.angelfire.com/sc2/Trunko)
- Cryptozoology.com (http://www.cryptozoology.com/)
- Shadowlands Sea Serpents and Lake Monsters (http://theshadowlands.net/serpent.htm)