In 1937, off Canada's west coast, hunters extracted a bizarre carcass from a sperm whale's stomach. Its head resembled a dog's, nose a camel's, body reptilian, tail horse-like, covered in a thin white film. Witnesses called it a sea monster. The 3-metre carcass was displayed on a platform of wooden boxes at the whaling station in Haida Gwaii, photographed for a local newspaper on 31 October 1937, and dubbed the 'Cadborosaurus'. Today, only black-and-white images remain; samples have disappeared.
The Cryptozoologist's View
John Kirk, president of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, insists it was an unknown species. He cites a flenser's account and criticises scientists for dismissing new animals. One sample sent to a Victoria museum was misidentified as a foetal baleen whale by the untrained director and discarded. Kirk calls this a 'horror story of how flippant scientists can be'.
The Scientific Explanation
Many scientists argue the image shows a decomposed basking shark, a giant fish once common off Vancouver Island but hunted to local extinction. Sharks lack bones; when basking sharks decay, their gill-basket collapses, leaving a long neck-like structure and small head, mimicking a sea serpent. Professor Ben Speers-Roesch notes that unless familiar, it's not intuitive what the creature was. He cites the 1977 Zuiyō Maru carcass off New Zealand, initially thought a dinosaur but later identified as a basking shark via amino acid analysis.
The 'Pseudo-Plesiosaur' Phenomenon
Speers-Roesch explains that decomposed basking sharks often appear to have long necks, small heads, and large paddles—hallmarks of a plesiosaur. He concedes the 1937 photo differs slightly but attributes this to display conditions. Young basking sharks have been found in sperm whale stomachs, supporting the identification.
The Real Story: A Tragic Demise
The mystery's real significance may be the basking shark's extinction from British Columbia waters. In 1955, the federal government devised a 'razor-billed shark slasher'—a blade on a patrol ship's bow—to kill sharks that interfered with salmon nets. Over 14 years, at least 413 were officially killed, with up to 2,600 (over 90% of the population) eradicated. Seals, sea lions, and orcas were also targeted. Today, basking sharks are protected under Canadian law, but recovery could take 200 years. A rare 2024 sighting has renewed interest.
Ongoing Debate
Kirk remains unconvinced, stating the carcass has hair and does not resemble any known marine mammal. He claims a 2010 encounter with an unknown creature in the Salish Sea. Speers-Roesch acknowledges human error in interpreting carcasses but emphasises that known ocean creatures are 'even more spectacular and powerful'. The question may never be definitively answered, but the case highlights how little we know about the deep sea.
