New Zealand sea monster may have been a killer whale

Every once in a while, something washes up on a beach that make beachgoers wonder if they've stumbled upon evidence of sea monsters or even living dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, these "blobsters" often turn out to just be the badly decomposed remains of more familiar creatures. As for the prehistoric-looking creature that washed up in New Zealand last week, that's almost certainly the case: a marine biologist identified the carcass as a badly decomposed killer whale.

Marine mammal expert Anton van Helden told 3 News the he could identify the animal as an orca by a distinctive flipper.

Luana Lovell-Dewes, one of four bikers who discovered and photographed the mysterious creature on near Pukehina Beach in Bay of Plenty, posted a video on YouTube of the 30-foot animal in the hopes it would be identified.