Anomaly Ledger

← Cryptid Encyclopedia A–Z

Stronsay Beast

Last reviewed Next review

Painted illustration: long carcass on Orkney shore
AI rendition based on witness descriptions, not an actual photo.
Sketch of the Stronsay Beast
Sketch of the Stronsay Beast · Sir Alexander Gibson · Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons) · Image source

A 55 ft carcass washed ashore on Stronsay, Orkney, in 1808.

Disputed Verdict: Anatomist Everard Home judged it a decayed basking shark; Karl Shuker still argues for a larger unknown relative.

Region
Oceans · United Kingdom (Orkney)
First reports
25 September 1808

Key sightings

Best evidence

Carcass measured.

Sources