Something massive and fishy has washed ashore in Nova Scotia, and no one can figure out what it is. Experts say it might be a whale or a shark, but it doesn't look like either. And it's making some wonder: Could it be a sea monster?

Grant Potter and Darren Robinson have been examining the creature for days and are still stumped. They're both convinced it can't be whale, but they admit they can't be sure because they've never seen anything like it.

"In my opinion this is not a whale, nor could it be a whale," says Potter.

Whatever it is, it's rotting badly. It's been on shore for three days now.

The eight-metre long creature has a small head that attaches to a long thin neck then to a massive body of cavities and cartilage. Huge, empty eye sockets gave the carcass an eerie look. Strangely, long strands of coarse hair cover the fins -- a confusing detail.

Some says the beast has the makings of a famous sea monster -- though the neck may be shorter than what we're used to with the Loch Ness monster.

Chris Harvey-Clarke is a marine biologist and underwater photographer. He thinks the creature is likely a basking shark.

Basking sharks are gentle filter feeders like whales. Largely made of cartilage, they decompose in a way that leaves them looking like something else.

They are normally more common to the waters of the UK. But while it's rare, they have washed up in the Maritimes before.