While out fishing, a group of fishermen caught a strange creature. Villagers flocked to see it — some were startled, others terrified.

Netizens came up with the most bizarre and imaginative explanations. But the true identity of the creature turned out to be quite surprising.

The world we live in is full of wonders, and the more we explore, the more we realize how limited our knowledge really is.

Fishermen catch a strange creature, causing a stir

At the end of 2020, a popular online forum called Naira Land featured a topic that drew widespread attention. The discussion revolved around a mysterious animal caught by fishermen in the Philippines.

According to the original poster, the fishermen had no idea what kind of creature they had caught. They took photos of it and posted them online in hopes that someone could help identify it.

From the shared images, the creature looked truly bizarre — even a little frightening — with features that seemed like a hybrid of several different animals.

The strange creature caught by fishermen in the Philippines

The lower body resembled that of a sea lion, seal, or walrus. It had a grayish tone and weighed several hundred kilograms. Interestingly, it had a small yellow tusk protruding from its nose, similar to that of a baby elephant. In addition to its tail, it had two flippers on either side of its body to help it swim.

The creature had a tusk-like feature coming out of its nose

Due to its strange appearance, the animal attracted massive attention from locals. Adults and children alike gathered just to witness the creature with their own eyes. Many admitted they had never seen anything like it in their entire lives.

So, what exactly was this bizarre creature?

The forum quickly filled with speculation about its identity.

“That’s terrifying! It looks like some kind of alien creature,” one imaginative user commented.

“It looks like a mix between a seal, an elephant, and a pig,” said another.

“I think it’s a cross between a buffalo and a seal,” someone else chimed in.

This is an image of a manatee, and its tail doesn’t quite match the creature the fishermen caught

“I think it’s a manatee. Nothing unusual about that,” one person guessed.

“No way — it can’t be a manatee. The lower body might look similar, but the head is totally different,” another replied.

“That’s a platypus!” someone else suggested.

Nope, this is what a platypus actually looks like

“Maybe a manatee hooked up with some other sea creature and gave birth to this — that head is just too weird,” joked one humorous netizen.

“No, this is a dugong, also known as a sea cow, from the Sirenia family. It’s closely related to the manatee, so it looks similar, but the biggest difference is probably in the tail,” another user provided the most convincing explanation yet.

Here’s a front view of a dugong – looks quite similar, doesn’t it?

Eventually, a Thai website reported that a dugong had also been caught in Phuket. From the images they shared, it looked exactly like the creature caught by the Filipino fishermen.

Dugong caught in Phuket

So, it was confirmed — the mysterious creature caught in the Philippines was indeed a dugong.

According to Wikipedia, the dugong (scientific name: Dugong dugon), also known as the sea cow or mermaid fish, is a marine mammal that inhabits the warm coastal waters of the Indo-West Pacific. It is the only living species of its family in its range, which spans across waters in about 40 countries and territories.

Dugongs have a streamlined body with thick skin. Their coloration varies depending on the algae that grow on their skin. Unlike most fish, their fins are horizontal. Their eyesight is poor, but their sense of smell is incredibly sharp.

They’re called “sea cows” because they graze on seagrass using their upper lips. And that “tusk” people often mistake? It’s actually one of their front teeth.