Case file · Cryptid
Trunko, the Margate globster
On 25 October 1924 people at Margate, KwaZulu-Natal, said they saw a white, furry creature with a trunk battle two whales offshore; its carcass washed up on the beach.
1924 CE · -30.86, 30.37 · status: explained
The account
The body was measured at about 14 metres and was said to have lain on the beach for days without anyone examining it scientifically. The story appeared in the press in December 1924 and became a favourite of sea-monster books.
The sceptical view
Zoologists, including Darren Naish, identify it as a decomposing whale carcass; rotting blubber often looks like white fur.