JAMAICA BEACH, Texas – It's not something you usually see in Jamaica Beach, and for thousands of spring breakers, it's not something they would likely recognized if they walked right past it. But police said a doctor on vacation had the expertise to notice something out of place.
Jamaica Beach Police Chief Andrew McLane said the doctor was walking his dog on the beach when the canine alerted to something in the sand. McLane said the doctor kneeled down, examined the dog's find, and quickly called police.
"Officers received a call in reference to some recovered body parts on the beach," McLane said.
He said the doctor realized he was looking at a lung, and just a few feet away, he discovered a second one.
McLane said the doctor wondered if the lungs could be human at first. Investigators called in the Galveston County medical examiner, who didn't immediately rule out the possibility of the lungs being human.
However, after a closer look back at the lab, the medical examiner determined that they were dolphin lungs. Officials said human lungs and dolphin lungs look more similar than many may think.
It has raised red flags for police and beachgoers.
"Just laying on the beach. That's pretty phenomenal," said Brad Newland.
"If you're just finding lungs, you're thinking it might be poachers," said Megan Stockberger.
McLane said officers checked the beach for other dolphin parts, but haven't found anything else. He said it's bizarre because the lungs looked like they had been meticulously cut or dissected.
McLane said if they did discover poachers, they would call in the parks and wildlife authorities.