A couple were left shocked when they discovered the rotting body of a sea monster while walking along a beach.

Margaret and Nick Flippence made the incredible find as they exercised their dogs at Bridge of Don,  Aberdeen.

Mr Flippence, 59, who lives nearby, said: ‘We were stunned. I thought, “oh my God what is it?”

Monster discovery: Margaret Flippence with the 30-ft long sea creature she saw at Bridge at Don, Aberdeen

What is it? Experts believe the carcass could have been a killer whale or a pilot whale

‘It’s like nothing we have ever seen, it almost looks pre-historic,’ he told the Sun.

Curled up by the foot of sand dunes was the 30ft-long body of the unidentified animal with head, tail and teeth all discernible.

Experts are now examining the pictures with one suggesting it could be the body of a whale.

Whale of a time: A marine life expert suggested the body could belong to a killer whale, above, or a pilot whale, below

A spokesman for the Natural History Museum said: ‘We have spoken to one of our mammals curators, and they have confirmed the animal is probably a long-finned pilot whale – Globicephala melas.

‘Apparently it’s not unusual for these to wash up on the shore.’

Rob Deville, a marine life expert at London Zoo, said the body could be that of a killer whale or a smaller pilot whale.

Whale expert Mark Simmonds told the Sun: ‘it died a long time ago and tides caused the body to wash ashore.’