Sea Serpents

Seljord Serpent Filmed: Blobdracontology?

Selma, the so-called “Sea Serpent” that lives in Lake Seljord (Seljordsvatnet) obviously would have to be a Lake Monster, akin to the Loch Ness Monster. The location is near the inland town of Seljord, a municipality in the county of Telemark, Norway. The town’s coat-of-arms was created in 1989, and shows the “sea serpent Selma.” According to most who have seen the supposed watery cryptid, Selma resembles a giant eel. The first eyewitness accounts date back to the 18th century. This is video of the “Seljord Serpent” or Selma, which was taken at Lake Seljord, Norway, by Adam Davies and [...]

The Monsters of Templeton

Cryptofiction comes in all forms. Today’s selection is a unique book reviewed in the Los Angeles Times. What monsters are hidden there? Like many an excellent chronicler of village life, Lauren Groff gives us early in “The Monsters of Templeton” (Voice/Hyperion: 364 pp., $24.95) an ensemble view of the citizens of Templeton, a place very closely modeled on Cooperstown, N.Y., birthplace of baseball — and Groff. You know what an ensemble view is: an event prompting villagers to come out in force, an opportunity for the narrator’s camera to move from face to face. In Cheever’s “The Wapshot Scandal,” for [...]

Waikato Monster Killed: 1887

Wanganui [New Zealand] Herald November 8, 1887 The Waikato Saurian Monster. Some months ago the Auckland papers were full of accounts of a mysterious monster that cleared carcasses out of slaughter houses, chased children, left peculiar tracks in the mud, etc.; but for some time there had been no mention of it. It appears now[,] however[,] that the stranger has been caught, and shot. We take the following account of its capture from a letter of a Hamilton correspondent to the Auckland Star: — It appears that a native, whilst fishing in his canoe just off the South Spit of [...]

Pinky Expedition: Monster Considerations

A major conclusion from my “Pinky Expedition” is the same one that I have found over and over again. There are no simple answers to the mysteries of monsters in our midst. Looking at other “cryptids,” additionally, we have to consider the other pieces of the puzzle. The long-term sightings of strange creatures from the St. Johns River, Lake Monroe, and surrounding areas, from the 19th century, during the mid-20th century, and at other times, appear to involve many varied cryptids. Bipedal dinosaurs, sauropods, traditional long-necks, and big blobs in the water have all been descriptions for the St. Johns [...]

Pinky Expedition: Investigative Breakthrough

Sometimes when investigating cryptids, it’s not how you ask but who and what you are asking about that gets some more insightful answers. It was a good day in the Pinky expedition journey. On Thursday, March 13, 2008, besides checking out more wildlife along the St. Johns River and at the Zoological Park of Sanford, I had a major investigative breakthrough. I decided to stop by the Historical Society of Sanford, to ask about sightings of “Pinky,” the alleged dinosaur of Florida. I was interested to find out if any old news archives might exist. What I stumbled into was [...]

Sea Serpent Immune To Bullets

New Castle [Pennsylvania] News ~ August 30, 1919 Sea Serpent Is Immune To Bullets Reno, Nev., Aug. 30. (International News Service) ~ Doubt not the authenticity of this, for the nation went dry long since. Four hunters report a Sea Serpent 35 feet long in Pyramid Lake, largest fresh water body west of the Great Lakes. It has huge fins and a serpent’s tail, comes to the surface of the water and lives, and its hide is impregnable to bullets. The hunters who shot the animal but who report it dived after being hit unhurt, are J. S. Neff, Mike [...]

Mermaid Found: 1917

The skeleton of a creature half human and half fish, which scientists say is more than 4,000 years old, has been found on the coast of China. Its discovery, imbedded deep in a sandy shore, has revived the old question of whether mermaids have ever existed. This skeleton is accepted in some quarters as conclusive proof that there were such creatures, long famed in the lore of many lands. The strange relic which has come to light after centuries had a head, shoulders and arms like those of a woman, as proved by the formation of the bones and skull. [...]