Tourists exploring a a remote Inner Hebrides island were left stunned after discovering a massive whale skull washed up on the shore.
The mammoth bone was found on Traigh Thodhrasdail beach on Tiree.
Samuel Watkiss, a 24-year-old surfer from Yorkshire Dales, made the discovery while out for a walk with his fiancée, Emelie Persson, during their holiday on Friday.
The geomorphologist shared photos of the find online, sparking awe and fascination among residents and onlookers alike.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Samuel has said he was absolutely amazed to find the mammal’s carcass.
“We were absolutely amazed at the size of the thing,” he said.
“It’s awesome to know that there are these enormous creatures of this size in our oceans, they are bigger than buses in some occasions.
“It was the first time we had seen something like that washed up on the beach, it was really amazing.”
Samuel took to Facebook and Google to understand what exactly he had found that day on the beach.
He said: “It led to us asking around online and researching on Google to find out – and we think it’s part of a whale’s skull.
“People have been telling us as well that they believe that it is part of a sperm whale.”
Whale skull stumped Tiree surfer
Samuel told the P&J this is his second year holidaying in Tiree.
He ventures to the Inner Hebrides from England to enjoy the clear waters which are “ideal” for surfing.
“My partner were out for a walk around the peninsula, and eventually ended up on the beach,” he added.
“That’s when we saw the big bones that were washed up there.
“We were trying to figure out what exactly we had saw, and what exactly type of animal that it was – or which part it was!”
The Scottish Association for Marine Science later confirmed to the P&J that they suspect the bone is the skull of a sperm whale.
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