The Chilean blob or Chilean monster (
Spanish: Monstruo chileno)[1] was a large
globster (mass of organic tissue) found on Pinuno Beach in
Los Muermos,
Chile in July 2003. It weighed 13 tonnes (14 tons) and measured 12 metres (39 ft) across.[2] The Chilean blob made headlines around the world because biologists were initially unable to identify it and were speculating that it was the remains of some species of giant
octopus previously unknown to science.[2][3] The blob was the subject of a number of
conspiracy theories.[4]
In June 2004, although no cells remained in the blob,[5] fragments of the DNA found in the blob were found to match that of a
sperm whale.[6][7] The blob was a large mass of
adipose tissue, the partial remains of a dead sperm whale.[6][7] Scientists concluded that the whale had died several months prior and that its carcass had been eaten until only its tough collagen fibres remained.[8]