A Killer Whale for the Ages

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Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:52:02 +0000
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By Gayne C. Young

For over five decades it terrorized the waters off Constantinople. It sunk ships, killed sailors, and installed fear in those who heard even the whisper of its name. It was a creature so consumed in legend and so mysterious that even after its death, people were unsure of what it really was.

Known as Porphyrios, the creature was first documented in the writings of the 6th-century Byzantine historian Procopius. He described the creature as a whale and told of its more than...