Ancient, Wooden Sea Monster Raised from the Depths of the Baltic Sea (VIDEO)

First Posted: Aug 13, 2015 09:14 AM EDT

A "sea monster" has been discovered in the Baltic Sea. Underwater archaeologists have raised a wooden carving with lion ears and a crocodile-like mouth from the depths, finding what appears to be the figurehead of an ancient ship.

The figurehead, which weighs in at a hefty 660 pounds and was carved at the top of an 11-foot-long beam, was probably part of the Gribshunden. This 15^th-century warship once belonged to the Danish King Hans.

"The ship comes from a time just when Columbus was sailing across the ocean and Vasco da Gama also went to India, and this is the same period and we can learn very much about how the ships were made, how they were constructed since there are no ships left from this time," said Marcus Sandekjer, head of the Blekinge Museum, which was involved in the salvage effort, in an interview with Reuters. "It's unique in the world and I think there are going to be more excavations around here and we're going to find some more unique objects. But this...today is just fantastic."

The Gribshunden, or "Grip Dog," was actually anchored in the Swedish town of Ronneby when it sank after a fire in 1495. Since then, it's been left at the bottom of the harbor.

These latest excavation efforts should tell researchers a bit more about this ship and the ships of the time period. This, in turn, may also tell them a bit more about the culture of the time.

Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.