A strange carcass pulled from the stomach of a sperm whale in 1937 off Canada's west coast continues to intrigue experts nearly 90 years later. The creature, described as having a dog-like head, a camel-like downturned nose, a reptilian body, and a horse-like tail, was covered in a thin white film. Whalers in Haida Gwaii assembled a platform to display the 3-metre (10ft) specimen, which local newspapers dubbed the "Cadborosaurus."
The Discovery and Its Aftermath
The carcass appeared on the front page of a local newspaper on 31 October 1937, fueling legends of a marine cryptid. Samples have since been lost, leaving only black-and-white photographs. John Kirk, president of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, insists the carcass represents an unknown species. He cites firsthand accounts, including an interview with a flenser who helped remove it. "The scientific world is always looking for excuses not to allow new animals into the catalogue," Kirk says.
One sample sent to a museum in Victoria was disposed of after the director—not a trained zoologist—suggested it was a foetal baleen whale. Kirk calls this a "horror story of how flippant scientists can sometimes be."
The Basking Shark Explanation
Many scientists argue the images show a decomposing basking shark, a giant fish once common off Vancouver Island but driven to near extinction. When basking sharks decay, their gill baskets collapse, leaving a long neck-like structure and small head. "With a long spinal cord and a small head, it looks like a mythological sea serpent," says Ben Speers-Roesch, a marine biology professor at the University of New Brunswick.
In 1977, a Japanese trawler pulled a similar carcass off New Zealand, initially thought to be a dinosaur, but later identified as a basking shark through amino acid analysis. This "pseudo-plesiosaur carcass" phenomenon occurs when decomposed sharks resemble prehistoric plesiosaurs.
Differing Views
Speers-Roesch acknowledges the 1937 photo differs from typical basking shark carcasses, but notes that young basking sharks have been found in sperm whale stomachs. "Even if you're well educated, you can make poor interpretations," he says. Kirk counters that the carcass possesses hair and does not resemble any known marine mammal, insisting it is not a basking shark.
The Tragic History of Basking Sharks
The real story, scientists say, is the extinction of basking sharks in British Columbia waters. In 1955, the federal government launched a campaign to kill them using a "razor-billed shark slasher"—a blade attached to a patrol ship's bow. "They simply cut them in half," says Scott Wallace, a former fisheries scientist. The sharks were targeted for interfering with salmon nets and were added to an official "nuisance list."
Over 14 years, at least 413 sharks were killed by the boats, with up to 1,500 more entangled. A commercial fishery for liver oil also contributed. Overall, more than 90% of the population—up to 2,600 sharks—was eradicated. Today, basking sharks are protected under Canadian law, but recovery could take 200 years.
Renewed Interest
A rare basking shark sighting in 2024 has renewed interest in the species and the campaign that wiped them out. "There are periods of time—often decades—that they just disappear," Wallace says. "Then all of a sudden, they return. There is a chance they're still in the area, out of human view."
The Enduring Mystery
For cryptozoologists like Kirk, the prospect of an unknown species is a powerful draw. In 2010, Kirk encountered a creature in the Salish Sea with a pointed head and stovepipe-like neck. "In my nearly four decades living in the region, I've never seen a basking shark," he says.
Speers-Roesch understands the allure of the unknown but cautions that human senses can be deceived. A dead raccoon on Long Island was once mistaken for the "Montauk monster." "When you look at the creatures known to exist in the ocean, it's even more spectacular," he says.
