Fishermen were baffled after a creepy sea creature covered in black hair washed ashore on a beach in the Philippines.

Van Curada Espiel Contreras, 30, was preparing to go home with companions after fishing when they noticed the foul smell in Siargao Island on January 26.

The searched where the stink was coming from and led to the rocky part of the beach a few steps away where the boats were docked.

A rotting sea creature laid in a small pool with maggots crawling all over its dead body.

It had a long spine at the back where spikes appearing to be fins was connected and a skull the size of a young child’s head.

The fisherman said the dead ‘fish monster’ also had thick black strands of hair covering its body which made it look even creepier.

He said: ‘It was the first time that we saw that kind of fish. We don’t know what it was because it looked strange.’

Van added that they think the creature could be a bad omen but hopes that they are wrong.

He said: ‘It could be a sign of tragedy, I’m not sure, but it looks really different from the normal fish we catch here.

The fish sighting was reported to local officials who informed the fisheries bureau to check.

They buried the dead fish near the shore until the staff arrived to have a look at it but its identification remained a mystery.