Small Town Residents Call Cops In Fear Regarding Giant Sea Creature

Nov 06, 2020 by apost team

Mythical creatures have long been a subject of discussion for occurrences that cannot be explained by science. From the infamous Loch Ness monster to the deadly Kraken, these myths have been around for quite some time. Even today, there have been sightings of massive marine creatures that have yet to be discovered by science.

Of course, spotting one of these creatures can be a nightmare. You might find yourself overcome with worries as you wonder what this means for the rest of our undiscovered marine habitats. With a majority of the ocean unexplored, we can expect that there are plenty of species that may be discovered in the future. One such occurrence happened in Wareham, Massachusetts in October of 2020 when residents kept calling the police department regarding a ginormous creature lurking beneath the surface of the water.

Wareham's Broad Cove in Massachusetts is known as a popular boating and fishing location for local residents. The sea life of this region is considered both strange and unique by frequent visitors who often visit just for the experience. And unusual sightings of this particular fish — the docile sunfish — have been going on for a long time. Back in October of 2015, two friends — Michael "Mikey" Bergin and Jason "Jay" Foster— went viral after they recorded the strange creature back in 2015 as they boated around Boston Harbor, as The New York Times reports.

The two men could not believe their eyes when they spotted a giant creature swimming on the surface of the water.

"We are seeing [something] we ain't never seen before," one of the men says in the video below.

This year, residents and tourists were so surprised by the appearance of this creature that they immediately alerted local authorities about it, as The Times explains. In one phone call, which is featured in the video below, a man claimed that all he could make out of the video was a flipper, and although this was not very helpful in identifying the creature, it made the authorities aware of the situation. Some viewers speculate that the animal was perhaps an injured seal or new species of shark.

apost.com

Unfortunately for the plenty of sci-fi fans out there, this creature was not a creature of the deep. It was later identified as a sunfish, a docile species of fish that prey on jellyfish and smaller fish. They present no threats to humans and heavily populate the region of Wareham's Broad Cove. Although sunfish are harmless, their appearance might have been the cause of fear among online viewers. Sunfish can grow up to 5,000 pounds and 11 feet, according to National Geographic. As of date, they are the "heaviest" bony species of fish that have ever been discovered.

Sunfish can be found in both tropical and temperate oceans globally. They enjoy basking in the sun at the surface of the water and can be mistaken for more dangerous species, such as sharks. They have massive dorsal fins that protrude the surface and can easily frighten human visitors. The sunfish spotted in Massachusetts was not very large, weighing around 150-250 pounds. Its unique appearance, however, was the talk of the day.

It is not uncommon for sunfish to become stranded during their migration routes. During the winter, sunfish are brought into the cove due to warmer waters and large tides. In some cases, a sunfish may end up in a tricky region and require human intervention to relocate to a safer area. In this case, the sunfish was simply taking a stop before continuing to another region.

When stranding situations do occur, non-profit organizations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare or Cape Wildlife Center typically step in to help relocate the animal.

After receiving plenty of complaints and inquiries about this unusual marine creature, the Wareham Department of Natural Resources publicly addressed the situation, as The Times reports. They stated in a press release that they were well aware of the sunfish and that there was no reason for panic. The sunfish was not injured nor stranded in the cove, but rather going about its daily activities.

The Wareham Department of Natural Resources later pleaded with the public to stop calling about the sunfish. After receiving a multitude of calls, they expressed their frustration online saying that the police department was extremely busy and could not attend to all of the sunfish inquiries. They stated that the concern was appreciated; however, the calls would distract them from real emergencies.

This incident just goes to show just how much humans fear the unknown. Whether this fear is derived from viewing too many horror flicks or hearing fishermen tales of monstrous creatures lurking beneath the sea, plenty of us finds ourselves worried about the undiscovered species within the oceans.

This situation, however, ended well. Although the residents surrounding the cove had never heard of a sunfish until its appearance, it is now a local celebrity. The authorities claimed that sunfish typically enter the cove during winter and exit on their own. They are rarely sighted due to their migrational patterns.

The video of this occurrence can be found online.

What did you think about this story? Be sure to tell your friends and give us your opinions!