The Elephant Whale of South Africa

On October 25, 1924, witnesses at Margate beach saw something impossible—a white, furry sea creature fighting two whales, using what appeared to be an elephant’s trunk. When it washed ashore days later, the mystery only deepened.

The Battle

What was seen:

• Three creatures fighting
• In surf
• Two whales
• One unknown
• Violent struggle

The Witnesses

Who saw:

• Beach crowd
• Margate, South Africa
• Multiple observers
• Clear daylight
• Sustained viewing

The Creature

Description:

• Snow white color
• Covered in fur
• 47 feet long
• Elephant-like trunk
• 10-foot tail

The Trunk

Distinctive feature:

• 5 feet long
• Elephant-like
• Used in fight
• Attacking whales
• Unique

The Fur

Strange detail:

• 8 inches long
• White color
• Covered body
• Like polar bear
• Marine mammal?

The Fight

What happened:

• Three-hour battle
• In the surf
• Creature vs whales
• Leaping clear
• Violent

The Beaching

Days later:

• Washed ashore
• Margate beach
• Decomposing
• Examined briefly
• Not scientifically

The Measurements

What was recorded:

• 47 feet long
• 10 feet wide
• 5 feet tall
• Trunk 5 feet
• Tail 10 feet

No Head?

Strange detail:

• No discernible head
• Trunk attached where?
• Decomposed already?
• Mystery
• Confusing

The Investigation

What happened:

• Locals looked
• Photos taken
• No scientists came
• 10 days on beach
• Washed back out

The Photos

Evidence:

• Photos taken
• Newspaper published
• Low quality
• Shows mass
• Inconclusive

Scientific Response

What didn’t happen:

• No specimens taken
• No proper study
• No samples preserved
• Lost opportunity
• Tragedy

The Theories

What it might be:

• Decomposed whale
• “Globster”
• Unknown species
• Hoax
• Misidentification

Globster Theory

Explanation offered:

• Decomposed basking shark
• Or whale
• Creates strange shapes
• Pseudo-fur possible
• Collagen fibers

Problems with Explanation

But consider:

• Trunk reported
• Before beaching
• During fight
• Living creature
• Witnessed activity

The Whale Fight

Key detail:

• Active combat
• Three hours
• Not dead mass
• Living animal
• Behaving

Why No Study

Lost evidence:

• Remote location
• 1924 communications
• No local scientists
• Washed away
• Gone forever

The Name

Trunko origin:

• Named later
• By cryptozoologists
• For trunk feature
• Memorable
• Iconic

Similar Sightings

Related reports:

• Other sea monsters
• White creatures
• Furred marine animals
• South African waters
• Pattern?

Significance

Multiple witnesses to a living unknown sea creature in battle, with subsequent beaching and photographic evidence.

Legacy

Trunko represents the greatest lost opportunity in cryptozoology—a 47-foot unknown creature beached for 10 days while science ignored it, then vanished forever.