Scientists in Darwin have been left perplexed after two mysterious tongues washed up on a beach.
Resident Liam Mercer found the animal remains 200 metres apart on the sand at Casuarina Beach in Darwin on Friday.
He described his unusual find to ABC News as ‘fresh’.
‘If you look closely, you can see the arteries and blood vessels where they’ve been chopped off,’ he said.
‘The mystery is, what were they and how did they end up there? It certainly has tongues wagging.’
Scientists in Darwin were left puzzled following the recent discovery of two tongues (pictured) that washed up on Casuarina Beach
Carol Palmer, a marine mammal expert with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), was quick to confirm the two washed up tongues were definitely from a whale.
She pointed to an orca attack, which often target humpback whale carves for an easy meal.
‘The thing they (killer whales) love the most is the tongue,’ Palmer said.
‘It is the time of year when humpback whales are here and calving, so it makes sense.’
A marine mammal expert with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), was quick to confirm the two washed up tongues were definitely from a whale (stock image)
A false killer whale could also be the mystery ‘culprit’, but as Dr Palmer explained, they are rarely sighted in Darwin waters.
Another possible explanation for the mysterious animal remains could be that the mammal was already dead and then partially eaten by sharks or crocodiles.
‘We regularly get crocodiles munching away at green turtles, they’re such a tough animal … so maybe they ate away and the tongues floated off.
‘It could be sharks, it could be killer whales or it could be crocodiles,’ she said.
The marine expert said the remains may be the result of an orca attack, which often target humpback whale carves (pictured) for an easy meal