general
Being a rotting mass of tissue and organs coughed up from the sea onto beaches or entangled in large fishing nets, the Globster defies quick and easy identification which fuels many tales of its unknown origin.

Large enough to be the remains of a sea monster of some renowned or perhaps only a small part of an even more colossal creature lurking at depths unfathomed, the Globster is indeed a potent stimulus to the imagination of humans. Sadly in the end, the Globster is generally quite identifiable and nearly always the decaying corpse of the humble basking shark or massive amounts of whale blubber broken free from the body of a dead whale far below the waves.

The term Globster was coined by naturalist and cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson in the early 1960s after the discovery of the Tasmanian Globster. Another journalist of the period attempted the term Sea Santa, but the charming alliteration did not stick and we now refer to large, unidentified carcass-blobs as Globsters.
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description/appearance
Globsters are found in a wide range of decomposition making it even more difficult to identify by anyone less than a knowledgeable marine biologist. Some Globster include such accoutrements as flippers, fins, eyes, cartilage, bone, apparent organs, or obvious muscle tissue while some are merely enormous globules of adipose tissue.

Globsters are typically found to be 20-40 feet (6.1-12.2m) long and weigh between 5-15 tons. Common visual elements of Globsters are fin or flipper-like limbs, white bristling hair or fur, long tapering tails, tentacle-like appendages, and occasionally a small skull set on a long neck.

Globsters tend to either appear as simply a cephalopod-shaped blob or as a long thin sea creature with many limbs.
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range/habitat
Globster have been found on shorelines of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Globsters have also be discovered away from shore by fishing and trawling vessels.
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history/origin
One of the earliest known reports of a Globster was the Stronsay Beast. This huge specimen baffled nineteenth century researchers, and even today remains an enigma despite having some remains at hand.

With so many Globsters found to be the remains of either large sharks or whales, it is likely that Globsters have been discovered throughout history, puzzling humans and reaffirming the belief in large sea serpents or giant cephalopods.
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timeline/major sightings
Globsters have been with us for a long time, but the proliferation of the human race and its media has no doubt impacted the increasing number of reports.

September 26, 1808: A Scottish fisherman discovered an enormous strange carcass washed ashore of Stronsay, one of the Orkney Islands. The carcass measured 55 feet (16.7m) in length, sported three sets of limbs with up to six digits on each, possessed a long serpentine neck, and a mane running the length of the body. The creature was given the scientific name of Halsydrus pontoppidani meaning Pontoppidan's water snake of the sea. Despite the monstrous description, the Stronsay Beast as it became known was most likely a basking shark in a late stage of decomposition though almost twice the size of any basking shark ever recorded.

November 30, 1896: The first sea blob coined "Globster" is discovered on the Florida island of Anastasia and named the St. Augustine Monster. This 23 foot (7m) Globster was initially thought to be the remains of a giant octopus. So strong was this notion that it was given two scientific names, one Octopus giganteus meaning giant octopus, and the other Otoctopus giganteus meaning giant-eared octopus. Modern day analysis of this legendary Globster have resulted in conclusive evidence that it was blubber from a whale and not an octopus at all.

1948: The Dunk Island Carcass is found off the great Barrier Reef in Australia. The carcass is said to have been tough and furry and resistant to fire.

August, 1960: Estimated to weigh between 5-10 tons with a circumference of approximately 20 feet (6.1m), the Tasmanian Globster boasted protrusions reminiscent of tusks, six fleshy appendages, white bristles all over, and a spine. Though no samples of the creature survived, contemporary thought and comparison to other Globsters leads many researchers to believe that this Globster too was decomposing whale blubber.

1970: A second Globster washes ashore of the Australian island of Tasmania. This unidentified carcass was discovered buried in the sand of the beach, the exposed portion of the Globster measuring 8 feet (2.4m).

April 25, 1977: While fishing in New Zealand waters, the Japanese vessel Zuiyo Maru hauled up a Globster that resembled to many a plesiosaur. Before releasing the 33 foot (10m) long rotting carcass back into the ocean, the crew collected samples from the beast which when later analyzed were found to be from yet another enormous shark.

May 1988: Treasure hunter Teddy Tucker discovered a large white Globster in Bermuda said to have five stubby appendages, somewhat like a mangled star. Seven years later, the remains were found to be those of a large shark.

1990: A Scottish woman found a 12 foot (3.7m) Globster on the shore of Benbecula Beach in Hebrides, Scotland. Dubbed the Hebrides Blob, the Globster was described as having a head, fins along its curved back, and a furry skin.

September 6, 1996: Surfers exploring the aftermath of Hurricane Fran found a 20 foot (6.1m) long oddity at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The Globster, which went unreported, had a pale grey cast and many tentacle-like appendages along its length.

November, 1996: A Globster dubbed the Nantucket Blob, discovered on the Massachusetts island, was later revealed to be the fatty tissue from a whale.

January, 1997: The third recorded Globster found on the Bermuda coastline was revealed to be adipose tissue from a whale.

1997: A Globster estimated at 4 tons was discovered on Four Mile Beach in Tasmania. The Globster had paddle-shaped flippers, coarse white hair, and six fleshy lobes along its side.

August 2, 2001: An 18 foot (5.6m) long Globster was discovered near Fortune Bay, Newfoundland. Analysis later showed the Newfoundland Blob to be the remains of a whale.

July, 2003: After scientific analysis, the Globster discovered on Pinuno Beach and known as the Chilean Blob was found to have the same DNA as the Nantucket Blob, both being whale collagen.
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proposed explanations
Through inspection by educated individuals and with the assistance of DNA sampling, many Globsters have been found to be the remains of whales, large sharks, octopi, or squid. Specifically, the sperm whale and the basking shark.

As a whale decomposes, large pieces of blubber may break loose and drift ashore. Other portions of a rotting whale may also wash ashore, and depending on the state of decomposition, can elude easy identification as the large creatures of which we are so familiar.

The gentle basking shark is the culprit of many discoveries of Globster. The Zuiyo Maru Monster of New Zealand is an excellent example of the trickery decomposition in a hostile and saline environment can play on the identification of a carcass. The Zuiyo Maru Monster appeared to be the remains of a very large creature guessed to be a giant marine turtle, a monstrous sea lion, or a plesiosaur beast. Study of samples taken from the carcass revealed it to be the remains of a basking shark which had eluded consumption by oceanic scavengers. Left to decompose in the briny deep, the remains became the exciting Zuiyo Maru Monster.
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influence on culture
The discovery of Globsters in times pre-dating DNA sampling may have led to or bolstered the belief in enormous sea monsters. Even in these informed times, the inability for an average or even educated person to rapidly identify a Globster has led to conspiracy theories and the inability to accept scientific reports stating the discovered nature of the dead creature (link)
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