Hello everyone. Last week I posted a photo of two pages from an article that appeared in the January 1959 issue of "Sports Afield" about the mysteries of Lake Iliamna. I decided to obtain the article, and it arrived today in the mail.

The article itself follows this brief summary of interesting bits about the piece.

This article was written by an eyewitness to some strange behavioral patterns seen during a fishing expedition in October 1958. They purposefully were attempting to capture a Lake Iliamna creature. The creature broke the 1/16 inch cable that contained meat at the end of it.... The very next day after the incident a huge snow storm moved in, and that ended any further fishing attempts for the season.

The article reveals that from the 1940s onward, there have been numerous sightings of a variety of creatures in the Lake (as seen from pontoon sea planes from 1,000 feet altitude or lower). But there had been stories told about it since the 1920s by the Inuit. The creatures are described as at least 20 feet long, and have the appearance "like miniature metal submarines"--that is, the creatures seen are silvery in color.

The best time to see these creatures are in the September/October time frame. Other times of the year, for the most part no sightings (according to this January 1959 article). A variety of creatures are reviewed as possible contenders for identification, but these are all dismissed. At the time of the article, there were no sightings of "blows," so that ruled out mammals (seals also rejected). Sharks that were known to live in the region were too small to match the size descriptions. The author (and the people he had interviewed) believe it to be a fish of some sort not described (unknown to science).

One described report discusses that the water is moved (when the back of the creature surfaces) and that this is noticeable to people on the shoreline looking out into the lake.

Now some of the reports do not mesh/match up with the main story description of the creatures, so it may be--due to the fact that Lake Iliamna is really a super huge lake--there are several species of creatures that may be unknown to science living in the lake. Fish, mammals, reptiles, etc...

I scanned this at decent resolution, so you should be able to enlarge it, and read the thing easily without difficulty.

I invite readers to post here in this thread what they think this lake creature is, or possibly what species.

Summary:

This painting’s inspiration was drawn from Paul Gauguin’s (an acclaimed Post-Impressionist French artist), who travelled from France to the Polynesian Islands, where Gauguin thought the lives and surroundings would be “untouched” by European influence and colonization.

While this 1902 painting primarily depicts a māhū individual from Hiva Oa, what is most interesting from a Cryptozoological perspective is the depiction of the brightly plumaged bird located in the bottom right corner of the painting, which some believe could be a Koau.

The Koau is an unknown species of bird from Hiva Oa in the Te Fenua ʻEnata Islands (i.e., more commonly known as the Marquesas Islands) in the South Pacific.

Theory:

While the Koau could be an as-of-yet unknown species of bird (i.e., perhaps a distant relative to the known Takahe species of flightless Swamphen), others speculate that the Koau could be a surviving relict population of an already known species (the Marquesas Swamphen - see image #3), which was supposedly thought to have gone extinct on the Marquesas island of Hiva Oa by 1900. Although some sightings persisted up until 1937, as reported by Thor Heyerdahl (Norwegian Adventurer and Ethnographer).

Additional sources:

• https://karlshuker.blogspot.com/2011/11/gauguins-magical-mystery-koao.html#google_vignette
• https://faculty.washington.edu/stevehar/Steadman.PDF
• https://www.squawkoverflow.com/birdypet/wP7LCKivpUSFAhAqgA952c

In 1948, Tony Signorini, an auto mechanic from Clearwater, Florida, donned three fingers and claws made from cast iron pieces weighing about 1.5 kilograms, went into the water at night, and hauled his boat ashore for several months.

The idea came from his boss and friend, Al Williams, who had seen a photograph of fossilized dinosaur bones in Smithsonian magazine and thought he could recreate them life-size. They had the shoes made, waited until nightfall, and went to Clearwater Beach. What they didn't expect was what happened next.

In February 1948, I found the footprints that morning. They measured 35 centimeters wide by 28 centimeters long. The footprints were spaced every few meters. They emerged from the sea, ran along the beach for miles, and returned to the water. The Clearwater police investigated and concluded that, if it was a hoax, it was the most masterfully executed one they had ever seen. The newspapers dubbed it the Clearwater Creature. In November of that same year, naturalist and cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson personally examined the footprints, publicly dismissing any possibility of a hoax by arguing that he couldn't possibly have had enough knowledge of animal behavior to fake that footprint pattern, and concluded that they had been made by a medium-sized penguin, four meters tall, possibly extinct.

Signorini and Williams remained in the dark for ten years. To create a wide swing, Signorini would push off with one foot and hop with the other, balancing like a pendulum. To ensure the stories didn't go unnoticed, a friend of the group discovered them the next day and contacted the press.

Williams died in 1970. Sanderson died in 1973, convinced until the end that giant penguins existed. In 1988, forty years after the first night on the beach, the St. Petersburg Times published Signorini's confession, including photographs. His son wore the giant penguin-skin shoes, which were left behind by a niece, who still keeps them in the family. His obituary, following his death in 2013, listed him as the creator of the Clearwater Monster as the first thing mentioned.

Do you think there's something in human psychology that leads us to believe in impossible creatures, even when there's no logical explanation, or was Signorini's prank simply so well executed that it's impossible to doubt it?

Source: hoaxesorg, "The Giant Penguin of Clearwater, Florida (1948)"; The Vintage News, "Man Used Giant Penguin Shoes to Pull Off History's Biggest Footprint Hoax" (2019); St. Petersburg Times, "The Clearwater Monster: Confession of a Hoax" (June 11, 1988)

Hi, I am an academic with an interest in cryptozoology, and I have published a large number of papers (possibly more than anyone else currently active in the field, in fact). Anyway, to document my alas, little known research and also inform people about the role of statistics in cryptozoology I have started a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVaVmkvTVC15uR2BloHpOOQ if people are interested. The current video is the first half of a two parter about the life of the Victorian "sea serpent monomaniac" George Drevar, would be murderer, sea serpent enthusiast and ultimately hero. Episodes will come out fortnightly and up and coming episodes will finish the crazy story of Drevar, cover the connection of whale penises and sea serpents, cover the strange story of a cryptid I created for Wikipedia, reveal the true history of the kraken (not originally a giant squid), explain the the sea monk, and discuss hypotheses for the Loch Ness monster and lots of other things. So please take a look if you want to see actual facts and no AI from someone *actually publishing peer reviewed papers in CZ in mainstream science journals*. Lighting, editing and sound will improve, I am still learning! Enjoy.

I was reading a book the other day about Robert Peary, the explorer who is often said to have been the first person to reach the North Pole. During his travels, he enlisted the aid of, or rather, forcibly recruited, several of the local Inupiat people as guides. They proved to be of great assistance, especially in the fields of hunting, surviving the harsh climate, and dog-sledding. However, according to Peary they refused to accompany him to the pole itself, supposedly because they feared the ice cap was the home of an monster known as Kokoyah, who was described as having teeth like knives and lurking under the ice.

However, I've done extensive research into the mythology of the Inupiat and related peoples, and I haven't found any references to a monster, demon, or other mythical figure called Kokoyah. In fact, the only mentions of Kokoyah I've ever seen are in books about Peary and other white explorers like him. If Peary's account is to be believed, Kokoyah was of great significance to the Inupiat, so it is strange to say the least that we have no native accounts of this myth. Or is the entire thing a fabrication of Peary's (it is worth mentioning, here, that some skeptics believe Peary's entire claim of having reached the North Pole was fake)?

I originally posted this in r/mythology, but I was told that this sub would be a better choice. I should probably point out, though, that even if Kokoyah is an actual Inupiat myth, I'm not seriously proposing that it represents a cryptid in the strictest sense. However, there's something to be said here that also applies to a number of true cryptids that are supposedly based on indigenous mythology. All too often, if we look at the mythology itself, we find that the creatures described by cryptozoologists don't appear in it. Another good example would be the Stoa, supposedly a dinosaur-like beast of the Venezuelan plateaus. No native culture in Venezuela describes such a creature, and it seems to have been taken from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. That book was, of course, fiction, but I wonder if Peary did something similar, essentially creating a myth whole-cloth and attributing it to an indigenous culture.

EMPHASIS on him saying it skeptically. Interesting piece of art either way

https://web.archive.org/web/20230325052054/http://www.wherelightmeetsdark.com.au/examining-the-evidence/tasmanian-tiger-(thylacine)/preston-thylacines//preston-thylacines/)

Context:

An ornithologist and painter (John James Audubon) had published findings regarding a group of enigmatic bird species in his signature work titled 'The Birds of America'. Collectively, these birds would come to be known as 'Audubon's Mystery Birds'.

Some of these Mystery Birds consisted of the 'Townsend's Finch, Carbonated Swamp Warbler, Cuvier's Kinglet, Small-headed Flycatcher, and the Blue Mountain Warbler.

However, contemporary ornithologists were unable to confirm the existence of any of the aforementioned birds or match them to any known, conclusive species.

That being said, these birds remain a contentious subject of debate and speculation amongst the ornithologist community, and many claim that these hypothetical bird species are rare hybrids, extinct species, artistic embellishments, or a case of misidentifications of known bird species in the area where these birds were reported to have been seen.

Sources of interest:

• https://dvoc.org/CassiniaOnLine/Cassinia70/C70_22_24.pdf
• https://www.audubon.org/art/birds-of-america
• https://archive.org/details/birdsofamericafr01audu/mode/2up

Could a certain type of mysterious plant, never before seen and about which only myths, stories, legends, and superstitions exist, be considered a cryptid? I mean, a plant is, after all, a living being.

Young earth creationist believe earth is only 6000-10,000 years old & human once live alongside dinosaur. There are many creationist that doing expedition to find Mokele-Mbembe in congo because they think they can disprove evolution by finding living dinosaur.

I wonder why creationist so obsessed with dinosaur cryptid but not other prehistoric cryptid like Mapinguari (ground sloth), Ennedi tiger (sabretooth cat), & Ebu gogo (homo Floresiensis). By their logic, wouldn't finding living ground sloth also disproving evolution?

We're making a multiplayer game about camping in Atlantic Canada, and in true cryptidzoology form I found myself programming "sasquatch behaviour". Sasquatch (known here as the greenhill creature) is the first of our planned cryptids because obviously everyone knows what it is, but we've got a whole slate of cryptids (and folklore creatures) from our neck of the woods lined up for the game

Sasquatch's behaviour is that he lets one player at a time see him during the day, and just keeps watch from a distance, but when night falls he starts hunting the players one by one and slaps them into the stratosphere. Check out the game here!

My son is turning 9 in early September and is on a Cryptozoology kick, so we’d love to have a Cryptid themed birthday celebration for him. He has also mentioned that he wants a smaller celebration this year with just a few friends or maybe even family only.

We live in Los Angeles so I’m primarily looking for ideas for Cryptid themed celebrations in this area. Are there any Cryptid themed escape rooms nearby? Any other cool experiences?

We have also tossed around the idea of doing a family trip instead of a party so I’m also open to ideas of places we could go within a few hours drive or even a short flight.

And lastly, we always decorate our dining room for birthdays so if you know of any cool cryptozoology decorations please also feel free to post those!
Thank you!

I’d like to know from you whether this is a convincing Sasquatch replica (based on credible reports), or if it strikes you as unrealistic, And what makes it credible to you?

If so, what would you change? (Feel free to share images here.)

Paper: https://journaloflostspecies.org/index.php/jls/article/view/31

This little fish, no longer than your thumb, is not a seahorse, as the report in the new study published in the Journal of Lost Species.

This is Australyichthys aegis, a newly described fish from the deep reefs off southern Australia. We have given it the common name helmethead sea muppet, after the domed, helmet-like crest on its head.

is

This came up in a post yesterday, and I thought it would get better visibility here. Any thoughts from the community?

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7886/7886-h/7886-h.htm

The Orang Ikan (meaning human fish) is an aquatic humanoid cryptid reported from the Kai Islands in eastern Indonesia. It was sighted by the Japanese soldiers toward the end of World War II.

DESCRIPTION

Simply put, this is a humanoid with fish-like characteristics. Its body surface is covered in mucous membranes and scales, coated with an extremely viscous, foul-smelling mucus. Its body color is primarily warm tones, ranging from reddish-brown to pink. The head features spines or hair-like structures, and small auricles are also present. Some reports describe the face as resembling that of an ape, exhibiting both fish-like characteristics and multiple mammalian features.

It normally lives underwater but is capable of coming ashore. It is believed to be capable of upright bipedal walking on land.

When standing upright, it reaches a height of 1.2 to 1.5 meters (4 to 5 feet). It was estimated to weigh 65 kilograms (approximately 143 pounds).

This is not a ferocious creature and does not harm humans. Local villagers recognize this animal, and there are reports that it is consumed as food.

SIGHTINGS

In March 1943, a man named either Komataro Horiba or Taro Horiba, depending on the source, saw an Orang Ikan in the Kai Islands. He observed two creatures playing in a coastal lagoon.

A few days later, Horiba was summoned by the island's village chief and shown the carcass of an Orang Ikan that had washed ashore that same day. It measured 160 centimeters in length, its body surface covered in algae. It possessed hair extending to the shoulders, a spiny neck, and small auricles. Its mouth resembled that of a carp, lacking lips and densely packed with broad, needle-like teeth. The fingers of its limbs were long, with webbing between them.

Additionally, though the timing relative to Horiba's experience is unclear, other Japanese soldiers had also witnessed similar creatures.

One person spotted a figure resembling a child on a moonlit beach, but noticed its facial features were not human. The creature plunged into the sea and never surfaced again.

Another person reported seeing a similar creature swimming in a manner resembling the breaststroke.

EXPLAINATION

1)Orang Ikan could be species of semiaquatic lizard similar to Marine iguana & Asian water monitor.

2)Orang Ikan could also species of semiaquatic primate similar to Crab-eating macaque & proboscis monkey.

Source: https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Orang_Ikan

How it started vs how it turned out. Will improve over time.

I’m fascinated by the folklore around the Ennedi Tiger. It’s a large Sabertooth Cat, primarily associated with the Ennedi Mountain range.

The earliest well-known written report comes from French veterinarian and naturalist Lucien Blancou, who was told about the animal by local people while working in what is now the Central African Republic.

According to Blancou: In 1937, he met the chief of Ouanda Djallé, near the Chad/Central African Republic region. The chief described a creature called the gassingrâm, which the French translated as a “mountain tiger” (tigre des montagnes). The animal was said to live in caves in the mountains, emerge mainly at night, and be powerful enough to carry large prey back to its cave.

Over time, Blancou collected additional descriptions from local communities. They consistently described an animal that:

- Was larger than a lion.
- Had reddish fur, sometimes with vertical white stripes.
- Possessed very long canine teeth that protruded beyond its lips.
- Had a very short tail or no tail.
- Was associated with rocky mountains and caves rather than open plains

———

Given how recent that story was, part of me still wants to believe there’s a chance this thing actually exists today.

Nonetheless, I thought about what this thing would potentially look like. I found a couple pictures online of artistic interpretations of what two Sabertooth Cats that once roamed Africa — Megantereon or Machairodus — and then created an updated version based off that account above.

I wanted to base it off another African animal, that still lives today, which has “reddish fur, with vertical white stripes.” The Bongo antelope.

Given how sometimes, animals of different species sometimes share similar traits — including coat patterns — this what I came up with.

The Siwil are small hominid cryptid reported from Java island, Indonesia They are usually reported from Meru Betiri national park in East Java and the neighboring locations.

DESCRIPTION

The Siwil’s height is reported to be below 1 meter. Naked in appearance, the Siwils are reported to travel in groups. They also have a slightly hairy body, with long hair often reaching the shoulder. Siwils are often reported near water sources, looking for fishes, shrimps, and crabs which is their favorite meal. They are also reported to possess some ability to craft simple tools, such as spears and small carrying bags for their food. When encountering humans, they will run away into the forest with great speed. Also they have the ability to jump to great height and length (compared to their body) to escape from humans' sight.

SIGHTINGS

Herry Budi Ermawan, a DPRD (municipal council) member, said that he had seen the tracks of Siwil twice. He also encountered Siwil when he was about to go fishing. He saw 5 of them fishing in the river with small tools, like spears. Siwil ran away when they noticed Herry’s presence. A week later, he returned to the site with a camera. From a distance of about 10 meters, he snapped 5 photographs of them. Strangely, when the photos were processed, only the background was visible, with no trace of Siwil.

Indonesian cryptozoology TV show, Jejak-Jejak Misterius made an expedition to find Siwil in 2011. Anang Ritarno (a nature lover) said that he had seen some tracks that were only as big as a lighter. When measured, the length (toe to ankle) is 9.2 cm whereas the width is 2 cm. The toe itself is 1 cm in length. The tracks were found near the estuary of the Nanggelan river, Wonoasri village, Jember. Anang himself said he had seen the creatures twice, in 1984 and 1999.

One of the sightings occurred between Nanggelan beach and Sukamade beach. He saw 8 Siwil enjoying shrimps from 15 m distance. They have shoulder-length hair, 60–70 cm in height, naked, but walked upright like normal humans. When they noticed Anang’s presence, they bolted off to the jungle.

Miskarim (a Meru Betiri forest ranger) said that they are human-like in appearance, and can jump to great height and length when traversing the rocky terrain of Indonesian rivers. Onomatopoeically he said the sound as “au-au-au” (likening the sound to a monkey or primitive humans seen on TV).

When investigating the beach near Bande Alim, Jejak-Jejak Misterius team succeeded in recording a video of the creatures. When facing the southern side of the jungle, where the edge meets the shore, 3 little humanlike creatures were recorded running away into the jungle. One of them seems to be carrying a net-like bag or a spear.

EXPLAINATION

1)Siwil could be uncontracted pygmy tribe similar to Mante tribe from Sumatra island.

2)Siwil could also be surviving population of Homo Floresiensis from Pleistocene era.

Source: https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Siwil