Thursday 24 November 2022 05:29 PM Appendage with long bony fingers found on Brazilian beach sparks fears it ... trends now
An appendage that washed ashore on a beach in Brazil this week sparked fear among a couple who said it 'looks like ET's hand' when they found it nestled in the sand - but a biologist assures it is of this world.
Leticia Gomes Santiago and her boyfriend, Devanir Souza, were strolling along the shoreline when they stumbled upon a giant hand with long bony fingers.
Images of it have been seen by marine biologist Eric Comin who said the hand belonged to a cetacean - an aquatic mammal that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
And based on the decomposition, the ocean animal died around 18 months ago.
While the appendage looks alien-like, it is a trait from early whale ancestors that walked on land about 50 million years ago.
The appendage was discovered by a couple who was walking along the shores of a beach in Brazil
The couple thought it looked like ET's hand, but brought it home for a further analysis
Underneath the interdigital flesh of a whale's or dolphin's flippers are five 'fingers' or the pentadactyl limb.
This is found in humans, amphibians and a range of other animals and demonstrates a shared ancestor.
The skeleton hand was found in Ilha Comprida, São Paulo State, Brazil, on November 20.
The couple filmed it and she placed her flip-flop next to the eerie hand with long bony fingers to show its large size.
Santiago said: 'It's very big. We don't know what animal it is, even worse if it's an alien.'
The couple shared the discovery with locals, who joked that 'it looked like ET's hand' or a 'mermaid's hand.' '
Leticia Gomes Santiago, and her boyfriend Devanir Souza, were strolling along the shoreline when they stumbled upon it. She put it next to her shoe to show how large it is
A marine biologist said the hand belonged to a cetacean - an aquatic mammal that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises
Due to its size, Comin said the bones probably belonged to a dolphin, mainly as they are commonly found in the region.
The biologist added that anyone who finds animal remains on the beach should notify the region's environmental agency, the Cananéia Research Institute (IPEC).
IPEC spokesperson Henrique Chupill, who also said that the skeleton probably belongs to a cetacean, stated: 'We always prioritize leaving the bones on the beach, so it does not interfere with the cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem.
'Eventually, when there is some scientific interest, we collect them for studies. If they are recently-deceased animals, we collect them to perform necropsies and identify the cause of death.'
While seeing the inside of a flipper is astounding to some, scientists are more familiar with the appendage.
Dr Mark D Scherz, assistant professor of
