Huge carcass washed ashore in Dumanjug, Cebu; shocks residents

UPDATED: CARCASS OF AN UNIDENTIFIED SEA CREATURE FOUND ASHORE IN DUMANJUG, CEBU
LOOK: Residents in Dumanjug, southwestern Cebu found skeletal remains of a still unidentified creature washed ashore on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Locals, however, believed that the carcass belonged to a salangay, or giant oceanic manta ray in English. | via Futch Anthony Inso
📸: Jennifer Mamac

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu- Residents in Dumanjug town, southwestern Cebu were shocked to see a huge carcass of a still unidentified sea creature on their shores last Sunday, November 17.

While locals there thought that it could have belonged to a giant oceanic manta ray, locally known as salangay, experts here believed otherwise.

The remains were found washed ashore on the coasts of Sitio Balasdiyot, Brgy. Calaboon last Sunday afternoon.

It was already in an advanced state of decomposition.

Local residents claimed that on first glance, they believed that the dead sea creature may have been a Salangay or Tanga, or giant oceanic manta ray in English.

However, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-7 said it may have belonged to a completely different species. 

Johann Tejada, fishing regulation officer II of BFAR-7, said they believed that the carcass belonged to a marine mammal due to the presence of a vertebrate.

“Kung naa silay bukog nga murag spinal, true bone gyud siya, marine mammal gyud siya,” he said.

He pointed out the presence of a backbone – which are not found on cartilaginous species like rays.

“Pagtan-aw nako unlikely kaayo nga porma nga Manta Ray gud. Kung Manta Ray na, mas nigamay na unta na siya,” Tejada.

(When I looked at it, it’s very unlikely that the carcass belonged to a Manta Ray. If it’s a Manta Ray, it would have been smaller.)

“Kung naay backbone man gud, ang Manta Ray wala man gyuy backbone nga true bones. Kuan man sila, cartilaginous,” he added.

(It has a backbone, and the Manta Ray has no backbone that are true bones. They are cartilaginous.)

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He also said that there’s a big possibility that the sea creature acquired a disease that resulted in its death before it was washed ashore.

In the meantime, BFAR-7 would no longer recommend identifying which species the carcass belonged to since it was already in an advanced state of decomposition.

It would also entail additional resources, Tejada said.

“Ipa-DNA test paman na nato nya wala man ta’y DNA testing diri. So for what purpose nga ato paman iyang i-determine? Unless kung needed gyud siya,” he said.

Tejada, however, cautioned the public from consuming it because it might possess a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to other animals, or even to humans.

He recommended burying the carcass and making sure that other animals would not be able to dig it up.

He also recommended burning the carcass first before burying it to ensure that its bacteria will already die. / mme