The remains of a mysterious sea creature that bears an uncanny resemblance to the iconic depiction of Nessie washed ashore on a beach in Georgia.
The weird carcass was spotted by Jeff Warren and his son while visiting the Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge on Friday.
His initial suspicion that it was simply a dead seal gave way to bewilderment when he got a better look at the five-foot-long creature and was stunned by its plesiosaur-like appearance.
Fortunately, Warren was able to briefly capture a photo and some footage of the 'monster' in between stops by scavenger birds that had already begun feasting on the dead creature's midsection.
When the father and son stopped by an area restaurant after their odd discovery, the pair were told the tale of a sea creature called 'Altamaha-ha' that, legend has it, lurks in the region.
Lest one think that the locals were just spinning a yarn for their own amusement, the creature is apparently part of the area lore to the point that it is used in advertisements for some businesses.
So did Jeff Warren and his son stumble upon the remains of the infamous 'Alty,' as longtime residents call the fabled beast?
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it would sadly appear that the answer to that question is no.
An official with the department told a Jacksonville media outlet that the Nessie-like look of the remains are actually in keeping with how some sea creatures decompose.
And while that is probably the case in this instance, some conspiratorial minds have conjured up an even more fantastic scenario where the creature's remains are really a hoax planted to entice tourists to visit the area.
While the idea that a group of locals conspired to created a fake Alty and leave it on the beach in an effort to get more visitors to their restaurants is almost as hard to believe as the plesiosaur theory, one concedes that anything is possible.
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Source: Newsweek