# What tha hell is that thang? (The Chilean Invertebrate) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960 "2003-07-03T05:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/21 "2003-07-03T21:13:45Z")
Posted by **Spectre of Pithecanthropus:** > [@](#): > > Aren’t you going to tell us what a shoggoth is? Read H.P. Lovecraft’s novella, “At the Mountains of Madness.” ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/22 "2003-07-03T21:30:25Z")
Well, if it turns out to be a giant oyster, pass me a vat of lemon juice and tobasco sauce and I can take care of the clean up. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/23 "2003-07-03T21:55:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zorro \* > \*\*I thought it was a reasonably witty comment that enhanced my enjoyment of the thread, its readability and my interest in it. \*\* I second that. Actually, I thought it was a lot more than “reasonably” witty. I downright laughed out loud. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/24 "2003-07-03T22:28:01Z")
Whether it was funny was irrelevant. We’re keeping political potshots out of GQ, and we’re keeping political potshots out of GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Zorro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ad7895/32.png) [@Zorro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zorro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/25 "2003-07-04T12:52:27Z")
Grumble grumble boody killjoys, moan moan and they call it “the Land of the Free” whinge whinge. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/26 "2003-07-04T15:52:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DreadCthulhu \* > \*\*It is a dead (fortunatly so) shoggoth that washed up from from Antartica. Trust me, I am an expert in this type of stuff. \*\* Thank you for clearing that up for us. I always say, when you have a question, go to an expert in the field! :eek: It is, however, unfortunate that you joined the board right around the time that **Hastur** changed his nick to **Mockingbird**. But we still have **HPL** , and **Dr Fidelius** is on the faculkty of Miskatonic University. And, of course, a good share of the threads in MPSIMS and IMHO tend to be about Love Craft! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bryanmcc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@bryanmcc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmcc)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/27 "2003-07-04T17:00:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\ ***bryanmcc** , I suspect that test isn’t exactly something I can do with a box cutter, a garden hose, and some Easter egg dye. > > Can you give me some idea of how difficult it is to perform this test, how long it might take, and how accurate the results usually are? \*\* No, but these days it is _nearly_ that simple. The only “hard” part is obtaining the gene sequence from the beast, and even that is not terribly hard these days. First, you need to acquire a tissue sample. Then you need a DNA primer to pick out the gene of interest – and universal eukaryote 18S rRNA primers can probably be ordered from supply companies for about $20. You need to run a PCR amplification on your material to get enough to sequence. This is a simple operation that any genetics lab should be able to do in a day. Then run the amplified gene through an automatic gene sequencer (a million dollar piece of machinery, but again, any genetics lab should have one), and it’ll spit out the sequence in short order (a few hours, probably). Once you have the gene sequenced, things get really simple. Download a few dozen 18S sequences (say a mollusk, an arthropod, a vertebrate, a nematode, etc., etc.) from Genbank (which is free). Align them with Clustal or the European Ribosomal Database’s DCSE program (which is free). Finally, run a phylogenetic analysis on the alignment using a program such as PAUP or Phylip or MEGA (some of which are free), and see what the thing comes out grouped with. Basically, anyone with access to a halfway decent genetics lab should be able to do this within week for next to nothing (as long as you can obtain DNA from the organism, and as long as it is recognized by the universal primers). As far as accuracy, there are potential problems like long-branch attraction, etc., but these should be easily avoidable if you have a fairly competent phylogenist, a decent alignment, a good selection of comparison organisms (representative and widely-spaced), and reasonable settings for the phylogenetic analysis. Bootstrap replicates should give some numbers you can use to judge the strength of the verdict. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/28 "2003-07-04T21:22:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by alice\_in\_wonderland \* > \*\*Well, if it turns out to be a giant oyster, pass me a vat of lemon juice and tobasco sauce and I can take care of the clean up. 😃 \*\* Mmmmm, Brobdingagian oyster. \ …July doesn’t have an “R” in it. Uh oh. \ Mff-mff-mff BLORCH!!! This PSA brought to you by the safe seafood association. ---
**Author:** ![Kalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/29 "2003-07-04T21:28:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zorro \* > \*\*I thought it was a reasonably witty comment that enhanced my enjoyment of the thread, its readability and my interest in it. \*\* Yep, gotta agree with Zorro. It’s one thing to start a flame war, but a wry, witty comment (even if political) is not totally out of place in GQ. At least, it shouldn’t be, and I was never under the impression that it was. Now, maybe some really nasty comments with the words “roseanne barr” and “afterbirth” might be inappropriate on this thread, but a simple political jab seems perfectly proper and makes reading the SDMB much more enjoyable. That being said, I’ll put $10 on giant squid (or a body part thereof). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/30 "2003-07-04T22:11:04Z")
I really hate to say this, but when I searched for new posts the thread that came up right below this one was… > [@](#): > > Barry White Dead At 58 …and I couldn’t stop giggling. [sub]…sorry, Barry…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/31 "2003-07-04T22:19:47Z")
Oh, and I vote for “giant squid” too. It’s not outside the realm of possibility, given the size of squid (squids?) previously discovered. ---
**Author:** ![hammos1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@hammos1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammos1)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/32 "2004-06-28T13:52:39Z")
Sorry for the 13 month bump, but the mystery has now been solved. Answer [here](http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996060) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/33 "2004-06-28T15:27:23Z")
> [@hammos1](#): > > Sorry for the 13 month bump, but the mystery has now been solved. > > Answer [here](http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996060) Thanks, **hammos1**!! I always say, when you’re faced with a decomposing blob, the smart money is on whale tongue! 😃 (or maybe 😛 might be more appropriate!) ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/34 "2004-06-28T19:27:54Z")
Well, shoot. I guess I should have bumped this thread back on July 11th 2003 when CNN reported it was just a decomposed sperm whale. Here’s a [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=196969)to my thread, which I posted in MPSIMS for some unknown reason. Unfortunately, the CNN link in the OP no longer works, but it said the same thing that your link says (no, really, it did!) The first time I could have answered a GQ and I missed it. Nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/35 "2004-06-28T20:48:56Z")
uh… how does a 13-ton lump of whale not have a single bone in it? ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/36 "2004-06-28T21:05:11Z")
Maybe this was what whalers left behind after harvesting the valuable parts? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/37 "2004-06-28T21:35:40Z")
> [@Really Not All That Bright](#): > > uh… how does a 13-ton lump of whale not have a single bone in it? If I recall correctly, it works like this: Whale dies. Carcass floats. Carcass decomposes. Eventually the flesh softens enough that the heavy bones tear loose and fall out. Bones sink and disappear; rotting flesh continues to float. Eventually the bone-free carcass washes up on a beach, whereupon the natives grab their Elder Gods tentacle masks from their attics and resume Cthulhu worship just to be on the safe side. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/38 "2004-06-28T22:30:55Z")
> [@hammos1](#): > > Sorry for the 13 month bump, but the mystery has now been solved. > > Answer [here](http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996060) And you believe them? It’s just the government trying to control our minds again… BTW, last time _ **I** _ did a year-old bump **Czarcasm** was all over me. How come everybody else gets away with stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960/39 "2004-06-28T22:59:02Z")
> [@Snakespirit](#): > > BTW, last time _ **I** _ did a year-old bump **Czarcasm** was all over me. How come everybody else gets away with stuff? If the bump answers the question posed in the OP, I would hope that’s welcome. That’s what we’re here for, to get the answers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tha-hell-is-that-thang-the-chilean-invertebrate/185960.md?page=1)