Residents and marine scientists alike are baffled about something strange washing up on the shores of Newfoundland, Canada. For the last few months, white blobs have been found up and down the beaches of the province on Canada’s east coast.
According to reports, they’re slimy on the outside, but firm and slightly spongy on the inside. They’re also combustible. Some 40,000 people belong to a group on Facebook called Beachcombers of Newfoundland and Labrador, and their posts have drawn the attention of a wider audience.
The Facebook group is a place for like-minded folks to share the things they find and leave tips for fellow beachcombers. While most photos on the page feature pretty little pieces of sea glass and the occasional piece of art made from them, the white gooey blobs have been making the internet rounds.
“They looked just like a pancake before you flip it over, when it has those dimpled little bubbles,” Newfoundland resident David McGrath told The Guardian. “I poked a couple with a stick and they were spongy and firm inside. I’ve lived here for 67 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. Never.”
McGrath went on to say there were hundreds of the blobs across beaches near his home. “They sent the Coast Guard over and I asked them how bad it was,” he continued. “They told me they had 28 miles of coastline littered with this stuff and had no idea what it was. Is it toxic? It is safe for people to touch?”
As of this writing, Environment and Climate Change Canada has no answers.
“To date, ECCC has conducted several aerial, underwater and manual surveys of the beaches and shorelines in the area to determine the extent of the substance, what it is and its potential source,” Samantha Bayard, a spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada, told CBS News.”At this time, neither the substance nor its source has been identified.”
The Facebook post’s comment section is full of suggestions, ranging from “whale boogers” to ambergris, a highly sought after waxy substance from the guts of a sperm whale that is sometimes used in perfume making. So far, though, none of those suggestions have proven to be correct.
CBS News reported that researchers do know that the blobs aren’t a petroleum hydrocarbon, a petroleum lubricant, or a biofuel, but finding an answer could take months. When the truth finally comes out, we’re hoping Canada’s mystery goo-balls aren’t like the feces- and meth-filled ones found in Australia.
The post Mysterious White Blobs Are Washing Up on Canadian Beaches first appeared on The Inertia.
