Cryptid Vault
Trunko

Trunko

Also known as: Margate Monster

A massive white carcass with an elephant-like trunk that washed ashore in South Africa.

First Reported

1924

Origin Area

Margate Beach, South Africa

Size

47 ft long

Temperament

Unknown (observed in distress)

Status

Likely identified (decomposed whale)

Photo/video claimsUnknown DangerAfricaOcean

The Lore

In 1924, witnesses at Margate Beach, South Africa claimed to see two whales battling an enormous white creature with a trunk-like appendage and a lobster-like tail. The creature's body allegedly washed ashore and measured 47 feet long, covered in 8-inch-long white fur. No scientist examined it before it was swept back out to sea. Photographs were rediscovered in 2010 and most researchers now believe it was a decomposed whale carcass, a so-called globster.

Body Type

Aquatic

Folklore Origin

Historical reportsMedia-amplified

Notable Witnesses

  • Hugh Ballance (Daily News reporter)

Similar Real Animals

Decomposed whale carcassBasking shark (decomposed)