Also called various names such as dobhar-chu, anchu, "water dog" and "Irish crocodile," the doyarchu is described as an animal that is about the size of a crocodile, but resembles a cross between a dog and an otter.

It either has sleek black fur that fits very snugly to the body, or it has slimey black skin with no fur at all. A few individuals have one or more patches of white on them, especially a large patch in the middle of the chest. At least one individual was described as mostly white with two black spots on the ear tips and one in the middle of the back.

The hindquarters are bigger than the forequarters and resemble a dog, especially a powerfully-built greyhound. The paws are big in proportion to the rest of the body, just as we would expect in an aquatic mammal. The head is sleek and looks much like an otter's, the neck is long, and the tail is long and slender with a possible tuft at the end.

The creatures have been reported as living in Irish lakes from ancient times. They are highly aggressive towards people and dogs. They attack by grasping prey and dragging it into the water, and they are often a match for the fiercest dogs, especially when they get their opponents into the water. They are often found in pairs. One animal usually stays hidden while the other attacks, but it will appear if the first has trouble.

If one of these is killed, the other becomes extremely angry and will risk its own life to get revenge, suggesting that these animals may have monogamous pair-bonds of exceptional strength. One report tells of a doyarchu that pursued the men who had killed its mate for twenty miles.

Since the sightings describe the doyarchu in a fairly consistent way, it could represent a real animal. Some say it could be a new species of gigantic otter. Others favor the view that it is a variety of baby Loch Ness monster (or rather, a baby lake monster of the same type, since Loch Ness is in Scotland).

Regardless of what it might have been, the scarcity of modern sightings seems to indicate that the doyarchu, if it ever existed, is probably extinct today. The location in which the largest number of modern sightings has taken place is Achill Island, located just off the western coast of Ireland in County Mayo. The lake called Sraheens Lough is supposed to have a small population of doyarchu, but these creatures seem migratory, not occupying the lake all year.

yes i have heard of this, I put up some links to info bout it on a friends website(i'm co-owner)

dobhar-chu
http://istina.rin.ru/eng/ufo/text/143.html
http://www.blather.net/archives2/issue2no15.html
http://www.americanmonsters.com/monsters/a...le&idarticle=13

go ireland!

I've heard a story of some town in Ireland that has a legend about a Dobhar Chu killing some townsfolk. I seem to remember they have some stonecut panels that illustrate it..
Don't know how real it could be, but small Otters can be extremely agressive..I'll bet a large one would be a wide awake nightmare!

I agree Falco, ive also heard that otters, while cute and adorable, can have a nasty temper if disturbed or agitated.
But from the pictures shown of what it looks like... that DOES NOT look like an otter... looks more like a dragon.

yeah i'm read alot on them and if they are real they are not otters!

Scary thought if they're real and still around.

Very interesting thread Mr. Halo. Good find!!

i'm glad some of you have heard of these creatures before, makes the whole story more credible and believable, and no they don't really lok like otters in the drawings

i would say its possible...but most likely an embelished story of a yet to be discovered aquatic mammal...

yes very possible, but i'm unsure wether it could be a mammal

or amphibian, something aquatic, we wont know until we know, you know?

That's pretty cool, but it doesn't strike me as looking like an otter...Anyway, it could very easily be the exaggeration of a normal animal. Or the exaggeration of an animal that hasn't been 'discovered' yet. Who knows?

yeah theres really no way of knowing, plus i haven't found much more information about this potential cryptid, which is a shame...

I can't tell if this is a representation, or if it's supposed to be a body.

aquatic enigmas

The only way there would be a crocodile in Ireland is if Murphy turned his Egyptian pet loose in Limerick! Even the weeds out of sight, the croc wouldn't last long. It's too d*mn chilly in Ireland for crocodilians.
If a subspecies did manage to adapt, it would be very green, and say "Top o' the marnin' to ye" before he bit yer arse off!

Hi, Great story Mr Halo, could this thing be kinda like what they think Nessie is? It does not look like a croc. but more likes a very fat lizard..or it does to me any way!

well i'm not sure if any real evidence regarding this creature has ever surfaced, i know of no photos that have been taken, does anyone know of anymore infomation regarding this creature?

I found this. the American Monsters gallery has some pictures, but not like photographs.

oh yeah i saw that, but didn't really know what to make of it, that could be any skeleton of any creature from that angle, but who knows

That's why i posted it. i can't tell if it is in the water or not, if it is a stone replica, or what.

although that image is named Dobharchu, while the topic here is called Doyarchu, so it may be a different creature, although i'm not sure...

erm..er nevermind i just read what i originally posted, and its another name for the same thing, i forgot, this topic is old you know