Gigantic creature washes up in Indonesia - and no one knows what it is

A huge, dead creature has washed up on a beach in Indonesia – and so far, no one knows what it is.

The body was found on Hulung Beach on Serum Island on Tuesday night by local people – who initially thought it was a stranded boat.

The bloated 45-foot corpse is believed to have been dead for several days before washing up on the beach.

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Locals shared images of themselves with the creature in Indonesia’s central Maluku province – with many convinced it is a giant squid.

But experts from Indonesia’s Marine and Coastal Resources Management said that the animal was more likely to be a whale – due to four-metre protrusions at the front.

The laboratory has now removed samples of the meat for testing.

Video footage shot by local people show the animal’s body staining the sea red as it rots.

Locals have asked the government for help in removing the body.