The Ningen
Online stories describe huge white human-shaped creatures seen at night by Japanese whalers in the Antarctic.
What was reported
In the early 2000s, posts on a Japanese internet forum described ningen, 'humans', seen at night from Japanese research whaling ships in the Antarctic: smooth, white creatures tens of metres long, with arms or fins and a vaguely human face.
The story spread through magazines and websites, often with blurry pictures and claims of a government cover-up.
Explanations offered
No whaling crew has confirmed seeing such a creature, and no photo has been shown to be genuine. It is widely treated as a modern internet legend, perhaps inspired by icebergs, whales or sea animals seen in poor light.
- When
- First posted around 2007
- Where
- Antarctic waters
- Witnesses
- Anonymous internet posts
- Status
- Internet legend
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