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A mysterious “river monster” found washed up on the banks of the Mersey has left experts baffled.

The dead, fanged creature - which according to experts could be a dolphin, porpoise, or just a “large fish” - was found at Otterspool on Thursday afternoon.

Scientists say it was found “badly decomposed” and probably died a long time ago.

Sean Hall, 28, said he was walking at Otterspool with a colleague when he found the mystery animal.

The creature appeared to have fangs, he said, and its skin felt “slimy” to touch.

He said it reminded him of a “river monster - something really pre-historic”.

He told the ECHO: “At first we thought it was a seal, and then we got closer.

“We thought it was in trouble, so we went over to have a look, to see if we could help it back to the sea. But it was dead.”

He added that the creature didn’t even look like it had eyes.

Sean said: “It was really strange.”

The window cleaner, says he called various animal charities for help identifying the creature, but remained in the dark.

Experts were left mystified by photos of the creature on Friday.

Dr Leonie Robinson, a lecturer in marine biology at the University of Liverpool, said: “Unfortunately it is so rotten that it has lost most of its identifying features.

“It might be easier to identify in the flesh, but based on the images supplied it could be anything from a porpoise to a large fish (grenadier possibly).”

Dr Robinson added that the creature “must have been dead a long time” because its head has “rotted back to its jawbone”.

An RSPCA expert said the creature is “most probably a member of the cetacean family, which includes dolphins and porpoises”.

The “river monster” is the second mystery creature to wash up from the Mersey in seven months.

Last year, Sefton Council asked for help identifying a furry-looking sea creature found on Crosby Beach.

(Image: Wildlife Trust Irish Sea)

The creature was later named by experts from the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership as a sea mouse.

Speaking about the Otterspol find, an RSPCA spokeswoman said: “This badly decomposed creature is most probably a member of the cetacean family, which includes dolphins and porpoises.

“The RSPCA has passed details on to both the local council who are responsible for the disposal of dead animals and the Cetacean Strandings Incident Scheme (CSIP) who are responsible for investigating the causes of such strandings.”