An emaciated man survived 16 months adrift at sea, eating turtles, birds and fish and drinking turtle blood, having floated over 8,000 miles from Mexico to a remote Pacific atoll, it was claimed on Friday.

A Norwegian researcher said that the man – who only speaks Spanish and has a long beard and hair – was not in a good condition after his 24-foot fibreglass boat washed up on the reef at Ebon Atoll.

In a story reminiscent of the Tom Hanks film Cast Away, the man, dressed only in ragged underpants, apparently set off from Mexico heading for El Salvador in September 2012 with a companion, who died at sea several months ago.

Details of his survival are sketchy, Ms Fjeldstad added, as the man only speaks Spanish, but he said his name was Jose Ivan.

Mr Ivan indicated to Ms Fjeldstad that he survived by eating turtles, birds and fish and drinking turtle blood when there was no rain.

No fishing gear was on the boat and Mr Ivan suggested he caught turtles and birds with his bare hands.

According to Ms Fjeldstad, the Marshall Islanders who found Ivan took him to the main island on the atoll to meet Mayor Ione de Brum, who put in a call to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Majuro.

“He’s staying at the local council house and a family is feeding him,” said Ms Fjeldstad, who added that the man had a basic health check and was found to have low blood pressure.

But he did not appear to have any life-threatening illness and was able to walk with the aid of men on the island.