Scientists Baffled by Gooey Blobs That Keep Washing Up on a Beach

"It’s not often you find something that stumps people who know this place and these waters."

Found on Land

Scientists and locals are perplexed by the sudden appearance of bizarre blobs that keep washing up on a beach in Newfoundland, Canada.

"I’ve lived here for 67 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, never," recounted Dave McGrath in an interview with The Guardian about the "hundreds" of strange objects that washed up near his home in Patrick's Cove, Newfoundland.

McGrath said that he "poked a couple with a stick and they were spongy and firm inside." When he encountered them they "looked just like a pancake before you flip it over, when it has those dimpled little bubbles."

The food comparisons didn't end there. As the newspaper notes, these goopy phantoms are said to resemble toutons, a fried dough delicacy from the Newfoundland region that looks like a mix between Chinese buffet donuts and funnel cakes without the powdered sugar.

As edible as it may appear, both professional and amateur beachcombers have had trouble figuring out what these globs may be — and it's unclear whether or not they're even safe to touch.

Outside Opinions

With just images to go by, a Facebook group for Newfoundland and Labrador sea glass enthusiasts also had some ideas about what the strange globs may be, the newspaper reports. With guesses ranging from ambergris, paraffin wax, sea sponges, and even mold, none of those theories held up — and experts are equally stumped, apparently.

McGrath told the newspaper that when he spoke to the Canadian Coast Guard, they were able to tell him that they'd found similarly strange globby masses littering 28 miles of coast but still "had no idea what it was" or if they're toxic.

The Patrick's Cove resident has also been in touch with federal scientists who, upon initial testing, were equally confused about the origin or nature of the strange substance that didn't appear to be a biofuel or petroleum.

As the Globe and Mail reports, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientists also had a look for themselves, hypothesizing it could be an invasive species or whale blubber.

"We are fairly certain that the mystery substance that has been getting media attention is not a sea sponge, nor does it have any biological material," DFO scientist Nadine Wells told the Globe and Mail.

"The glob or the goo or whatever it is, we don’t think it’s a sponge because there have been people lighting it on fire and it burns," she added. "We figure there must be some type of oil in there."

The whole thing has left McGrath frustrated and unsure about whether they may be toxic.

With experts and amateurs equally baffled by the blobs, the resident has his own conjecture: that they could be related to discharge coming from ships that travel through the waters to a nearby oil refinery.

"An answer would be nice," he said. "It’s not often you find something that stumps people who know this place and these waters."

More on strange marine sightings: Ghostly Footage Shows Imploded Sub Resting in Freezing Darkness of Ocean Floor