Some of the scientists interviewed for the Live Science piece say that the object was either a decomposing marine mammal (more specifically, a cetacean) or a “dugong.” Another scientist interviewed for The Messenger claimed that it could be a shark. Then again, my neighbor Ricky who spends his days spitting dip on his front porch says he’s sure it’s a mermaid. I guess we’ll say that opinion on the issue is divided.

Sadly, we may never know the truth about what exactly this creature was. “There is no information on the size and weight of the corpse because it was not properly measured before locals buried it, NIO representatives told Live Science,” writes author Harry Baker. “And no one collected DNA samples, which makes a proper identification almost impossible.”

But who knows? Maybe someday someone will dig it up and test whatever’s left. Let’s just hope they don’t