Trunko is the nickname for an animal reportedly sighted in Margate, South Africa on October 25, 1924, according to an article entitled "Fish Like A Polar Bear" published in the December 27, 1924 edition of London's Daily Mail. The animal was reputedly first seen off the coast battling two whales, which fought the unusual creature for three hours. It used its tail to attack the whales and reportedly lifted itself out of the water by about 20 feet. One of the witnesses, Hugh Ballance, described the animal as looking like a "giant polar bear" during a final fight. This image was created by Bill Asmussen of Bills Hominid Artwork. ... Binomial name Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758 Orca range (in blue) The Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Margate is a town in Thanet, Kent, England (population about 60,000). ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Daily Mail is a British tabloid newspaper first published in 1896. ... A Fin Whale The term whale is ambiguous: it can refer to all cetaceans, to just the larger ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. ... Binomial name Phipps, 1774 Polar bear range Synonyms Ursus eogroenlandicus Ursus groenlandicus Ursus jenaensis Ursus labradorensis Ursus marinus Ursus polaris Ursus spitzbergensis Ursus ungavensis Thalarctos maritimus The polar bear (Ursus maritimus), a bear native to the Arctic, is the apex predator within its range. ...

Description

The creature reputedly washed up on Margate Beach but despite being there for 10 days, no scientist ever investigated the carcass while it was beached so no reliable description has been published, and no photographs of it have ever been published. Some people who have never been identified were reported to have described the animal as possessing snowy-white fur, an elephantine trunk, a lobster-like tail, and a carcass devoid of blood. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A dogs fur usually consists of longer, stiffer, guard hairs—which can be straight, wiry, or wavy, and of various lengths, hiding a soft, short-haired undercoat. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Subfamilies and Genera Neophoberinae Acanthacaris Thymopinae Nephropsis Nephropides Thymops Thymopsis Nephropinae Homarus Nephrops Homarinus Metanephrops Eunephrops Thymopides Clawed lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine crustaceans. ... A scorpion tail The tail is the section at the rear end of an animals body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. ... Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ...

The animal has been claimed to be 47 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 5 feet high, with the trunk's length being 5 feet, the trunk's diameter 14 inches, the tail 10 feet, and the fur being 8 inches long. The trunk was said to be attached directly to the animal's torso, as no head was visible on the carcass. For this feature, the animal was dubbed Trunko. The human torso Torso is an anatomical term for the greater part of the human body without the head and limbs. ...

In the March 27, 1925 edition of the Charleroi Mail, in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, an article entitled "Whales Slain By Hairy Monster" reported that whales there were killed by a strange creature which was washed up on a beach exhausted and fell unconscious, but made its way back into the ocean and swam away after 10 days and it may be the source of the bloop. March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Unconsciousness is the absence of consciousness. ... The Bloop is the name given to an ultra-low frequency underwater sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration several times during the summer of 1997. ...

Explanations

Many suggestions have been made to explain this phenomenon, the most common explanation being that Trunko was a large whale, basking shark, or whale shark, whose decaying body made it appear furry and that the orcas were feasting on its corpse. Another widely accepted theory is that Trunko was a sighting of an aquatic pachyderm, or elephant. It is generally considered to be a cryptid, part of the controversial field of cryptozoology, or a hoax. Binomial name (Gunnerus, 1765) Range (in blue) The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, is the second largest fish, after the whale shark. ... Animal environments are classified as either aquatic (water), terrestrial (land), or amphibious (water and land). ... Pachyderm is a Greek word, consisting of the words pachy meaning fat (thick), and derma meaning skin. ... Cryptids are creatures presumed extinct, hypothetical species, or creatures known from anecdotal evidence and/or other evidence insufficient to prove their existence with scientific certainty. ... Cryptozoology is the search for animals that are rumored to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing. ... A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ...

See also

• Cryptozoology
• List of cryptids
• Tasmanian Globster - a similarly described cryptid
• Bloop

Cryptozoology is the search for animals that are rumored to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing. ... Cryptids are creatures presumed extinct or hypothetical species of creature known from anecdotal evidence and/or other evidence insufficient to prove their existence with certainty. ... March 9, 1962 issue of The Mercury covering the Tasmanian Globster. ... The Bloop is the name given to an ultra-low frequency underwater sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration several times during the summer of 1997. ...

External links

• Trunko article on American Monsters
• Kryptid's Keep analysis of Trunko reports
• Cryptozoology.com glossary description of Trunko