He told MailOnline: “Unfortunately, from just this photo we can’t tell much other than it is a whale of some form. We would need shots of the front end (and probably a bit of poking around) to get an ID.”
Confusion surrounding the creature hasn’t stopped people from sharing their suggestions, however.
James Trippington said: “Very similar to Orca or Dolphin. But the caudal vertebrae looks rather slim. Not a shark for sure though.”
But Andrew Mowat dismissed the idea, saying: “Spine looks like it’s designed for side-to-side movement? Whales move up and down.”
Others joked it could be the Loch Ness monster, suggesting the beast might have escaped from its alleged watery home about 100 miles away.
Brian Ingram said: “Nessie! Escaped to the sea but then came to a sticky end.” And Emma-Louise Bollard said: “Nessie. Could not adapt to salt water.”
Another joked: “It’s a very, very rarely seen deep-sea Haggis.”
A woman makes her way through floodwater as the waters of the River Ouse passing through York breach the riverbanks after Storm Ciara.
The Loch Ness monster has long been a Scottish legend, with dozens of supposed sightings claimed each year.
There were a large number of alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster last year—18 in total—which is the highest since 1983, when ‘Nessie-mania’ was at its peak.
The sighting of the mysterious creature in Aberdeenshire came amid the gales and downpours of Storm Ciara this weekend.
Ciara brought 97 mph winds, up to seven inches of rain, flooding, and left more than 20,000 people without power.
And now Britain is set to be hit by ‘blizzard conditions’ and heavy rain today as flood-hit Britain braces itself for a 72-hour deluge, with Storm Dennis on the way this weekend.