ABSTRACT

This chapter considers the specimens of the Stronsay carcase, and the giant leptocephalus. The disparity between the sightings and the lack of concrete evidence is one of the most puzzling aspects of the subject of sea serpents. It seems that the main reason why whales are so frequently stranded is that their echo-sounding apparatus becomes ineffective if they stray into shallow waters, and their rigid bulk prevents them from taking stock of the situation by rearing out of the water, as sea serpents could do. So it seems that sea serpents are probably the least likely of sea creatures to be stranded, and, if they ever were, would be quite able to get off the shore without difficulty. The sea is sufficiently vast to hold many mysteries, which, nevertheless, are part of the real world.