The Lake Coleridge Monster

[Undeadskeptic 8]

The Lake Coleridge Monster

A Modern Collosus of the Deep!

Whilst investigating New Zealand cryptozoology, I have come across, several times, the story of the Lake Colerdige Monster. It's only official appearence is sited in Robyn Gossets excellent book New Zealand Mysteries. Gosset writes that during the old fisherman around the area tell stories about 'Lakey' the enormous, but seldom seen, sea animal that lives in the lake, capable of tearing a mans rod off him and creating huge ripples on the Lake surface.

Beyond that, little more info exists. The Wikipedia page for Coleridge has this to say:

Lake Coleridge is located in inland Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. Located 35 kilometres to the northwest of Methven, it has a surface area of 47 km².

The lake is located to the north of the Rakaia River, and is the site of one of the country's earliest hydroelectric schemes, completed in 1914. The project makes use of the difference in altitude between the lake and river (the lake is 150 metres higher). Both the Harper and Wilberforce Rivers have had some of their flow diverted into the lake.

In her book New Zealand Mysteries, Robyn Gosset mentions a rash of sightings during the 1970's of "Lakey", a large animal living in the lake. No reports have emerged since. [2]

The hitherto mentioned rash of sightings actually consist of seven sightings from the seventies.

1972. An old fisherman went missing one night in a particularly long hot summer night. The close knit communtiy spread the word of his dissapearence immediatly and several of his friends went out on their boats to search. Eventually his boat was discovered drifting, empty. There was blood in on the sides and inside the boat, indicating a struggle. Police decided no foul play had been involved and that the old man had slipped, hurt himself badly, then fallen into the water. The absence of a body was noted as "strange, but not implausible"

At this time the idea of a lake monster was only a rumour told in pubs. After the old mans dissapearence the monster became flesh and blood to many locals, who suspected it had been responsible for the mans death. Soon after sensationalist newpapers began selling the story as "Death by Loch Ness Monster!" and the validity of the claims was reduced. As the affair died down, the monster and the old man were remembered only by the locals, many of whom refused to fish alone anymore.

1975. Two woman walking on the shore notice an incredible sight: A huge, wolf-like head sticking out of the water some metres away, staring at them. Horrified they screamed, and the monster slunk back into the water. The head was described as large and hairless.

1975. A teacher and his wife were boating and observing the birdlife on the lake surface when they witnessed a spectacle they were not soon to forget. A large group of birds had gathered to pick at fish on the otherside of the lake. As a big white bird came to join the others, an enormous sea creature burst from the water, caught the bird in it's jaws and vanish beneath the water surface.

1976 A farmer on the west side of the lake began losing considerable numbers of sheep when they went to drink by the waters edge. Thinking a human to be responsible he waited out with his sheep whilst they drank. He then noticed adark shadow just below the surface of the water where a lamb was moving to take a sip. He shouted, and the huge shape shot off.

1977 Several witnesses see a gignatic monster, 16 feet long, rolling around on the surface, snapping its jaws. News of the sighting spreads like wildfire. The creature is described as grey, with four visible flippers and no obvious dorsal fin. Overall it was quite "fish-like".

1977. After the sighting from earlier that year, a hunter from Otago decided to finish off the monster once and for all. He set off at dawn on a boat rigged with radar, harpoons and all ther other essentials to monster-killing. He was out on the Lake for two weeks but failed to uncover anything but the occasional big blip on the radar.

Deciding to have one last shot at it, he put on his wetsuit and dived under. When beneath the water, he found his boat was directly above the wreck of a yacht, which was lying on the bottom of the lake. Curious, he investigated the yacht. As he turn back up to resurface, he was struck in the ribs by a huge force. Not staying around to see what it was, he got back to his boat and stormed off, his mission a failure.

1979. The monsters final appearence was to a group of fisherman on the lakes western most shore. The beastie was seen to stare at them (As in the 1975 encounter) with it's head partially above water. For some time it swam in slow circles, not taking it's eyes off the men, then left to beneath the water. The next morning a huge, snake like trail was found in the mud.

At time of writing, the Lake Coleridge monster has never been sighted again.

[catutie 0]

hmmm....so it left??? or did it die??? or did it ever exist???

[Stormcrow 43]

Interesting, and much more in-depth sightings than Nessie or Champ. It sounds positively vicious, whatever it was. Never heard of it, but it sounds much more realistic (in terms of behaviour) than the more popular lake monsters. But because of the lack of sightings, I don't really know. A large fish would be seen more frequently than that, even large snakes, and the fact it simply disappeared is suspicious.

[catutie 0]

sounds really mean and it eats everything. i think that one guy got eaten by it :obut it seems to me that it reacted to loud noises. with the farmer yelling and then it left and the women screaming and it just left. i would carry an airhorn around with me lol

[MysteryMike 190]

sounds really mean and it eats everything. i think that one guy got eaten by it :obut it seems to me that it reacted to loud noises. with the farmer yelling and then it left and the women screaming and it just left. i would carry an airhorn around with me lol

Thanks to you who post about this. This cryptid that you guys are talking about just gave me a another idea for a Novel about this. I just got to finish my other ones first then I will do this. But what should my title be for this one when I make it.

[catutie 0]

i would have to have some kind of story over view to think of a title

:-/

[Undeadskeptic 8]

Thanks to you who post about this. This cryptid that you guys are talking about just gave me a another idea for a Novel about this. I just got to finish my other ones first then I will do this. But what should my title be for this one when I make it.

That would be me

A novel about the Coleridge Monster? I would love to read that.

But... you must be writing like a madman to get all these novels finished. Are they any good? Are you gonna try get published?

I'm not sure what you could call it though, sorry. I'd need some idea of storyline first.

Do you know enough about New Zealand to write about it? (Not in a mean way mind, in an inquisitive way)

[Undeadskeptic 8]

Interesting, and much more in-depth sightings than Nessie or Champ. It sounds positively vicious, whatever it was. Never heard of it, but it sounds much more realistic (in terms of behaviour) than the more popular lake monsters. But because of the lack of sightings, I don't really know. A large fish would be seen more frequently than that, even large snakes, and the fact it simply disappeared is suspicious.

The lack of sightings and the fact it appeared during the course of a single decade, then vanished is really strange to me. Do you have any idea as to waht it could have been? To be honest when I first read about it I was perfectly stumped. Well, I still am. I can't discount it as a hoax because it would involve so much patience and effort on the part of many and misidentification is hard to put down too. Misidentification of what?

[Undeadskeptic 8]

sounds really mean and it eats everything. i think that one guy got eaten by it :obut it seems to me that it reacted to loud noises. with the farmer yelling and then it left and the women screaming and it just left. i would carry an airhorn around with me lol

Good spotting, I didn't pick up on that. Sound travels faster underwater?

[Stormcrow 43]

The lack of sightings and the fact it appeared during the course of a single decade, then vanished is really strange to me. Do you have any idea as to waht it could have been? To be honest when I first read about it I was perfectly stumped. Well, I still am. I can't discount it as a hoax because it would involve so much patience and effort on the part of many and misidentification is hard to put down too. Misidentification of what?

I'm not going to go hoax, because like you said, it would have been extensive, and the planning and effort would have been crazy (to put it lightly). I'll be honest, I had to do a Google search for New Zealand's native species (because I know nothing!), but I could only find a few things that appeared reasonable.

Eel: "The biggest long-finned eels reported have weighed as much as 40 kg. Pictures of fishers and huge eels used to appear regularly in local newspapers. But today, you’ll seldom find an eel heavier than 10 kg."

Leopard seal: Even though this occurred in a lake, I'm not doubting the possibility completely. The description and behaviour seems to fit. http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native...ard-seal/facts/

But sadly, that was all I could come up with based on the native species.

[S2F 3,516]

Some of what was described in those sightings reminded me of a crocodile. Introduced species perhaps? It is intriguing, thanks for sharing UDS.

[Undeadskeptic 8]

I'm not going to go hoax, because like you said, it would have been extensive, and the planning and effort would have been crazy (to put it lightly). I'll be honest, I had to do a Google search for New Zealand's native species (because I know nothing!), but I could only find a few things that appeared reasonable.

Eel: "The biggest long-finned eels reported have weighed as much as 40 kg. Pictures of fishers and huge eels used to appear regularly in local newspapers. But today, you’ll seldom find an eel heavier than 10 kg."

Leopard seal: Even though this occurred in a lake, I'm not doubting the possibility completely. The description and behaviour seems to fit. http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native...ard-seal/facts/

But sadly, that was all I could come up with based on the native species.

Eels. I love our NZ Eels. They usually reach lengths of three metres, and often if you fish the right, lesser known spots you can hook truly gigantic ones. They are viscious too, the big ones. My friend when I was a kid regularly went on Eeling trips, and once got bitten on the ankle by a HUGE whooper of a fish.

So Eel seems most likely to me, although we must assume that it died at the time sightings stopped and grew to hitherto impossible sizes if the 16 foot long story is to be believed.

Leopard seal seems a bit of a long shot to me, not impossible though!

[Undeadskeptic 8]

Some of what was described in those sightings reminded me of a crocodile. Introduced species perhaps? It is intriguing, thanks for sharing UDS.

The head poking out of the water sightings remind me of a crocodile too

Crocodiles in NZ is a shaky one. A lot of our Mosasaur sightings could be Crocs but they are never explicitly described as such. The Taniwha legends could have been inspired by crocs but again no explicit stating that it was a croc. So we don't technically have any croc sightings that have been described as such but the possibility remains open.

NZ used to have a native Crocodile.

Although I doubt Coleridge is warm enough for crocs.

[Stormcrow 43]

Eels. I love our NZ Eels. They usually reach lengths of three metres, and often if you fish the right, lesser known spots you can hook truly gigantic ones. They are viscious too, the big ones. My friend when I was a kid regularly went on Eeling trips, and once got bitten on the ankle by a HUGE whooper of a fish.

So Eel seems most likely to me, although we must assume that it died at the time sightings stopped and grew to hitherto impossible sizes if the 16 foot long story is to be believed.

Leopard seal seems a bit of a long shot to me, not impossible though!

YOU HAVE ME LEARNING TOO MUCH. >O

I did some map searches and noticed Coleridge is way inland, but the river has (direct?) access to the ocean. The behaviour and appearance I think is much more fitting for a leopard seal, imo. The descriptions seem to give the creature a deeper sense of its surroundings, to the point it doesn't behave fish-like. (I'm going to guess that eel behaviour is pretty similar throughout the eel species, so if I'm wrong, lemme know. I own a small variety of eel, and they're very shy, bottom dwellers. They don't like confrontation and like easy meals (to the point I have to hand-feed them), and rarely come to the surface--especially in the daylight. I haven't done the research, so correct me if that assumption is wrong for the type of eel common in your area.) ANYWAY. Whoo, enough with the rambling.

Beyond that, it's also difficult for eels to rear up out of the water due to their body shape (they have no leverage, really).

A few other things that lead me to believe seal > eel or croc.

* The missing man was most likely attacked on board, an apparent impossibility for a completely underwater specimen. Not impossible for a crocodile, but it would have been a task if the man didn't present himself (such as leaning over the edge of the boat). If it was a small vessel, it may have been possible for a large seal to climb aboard if the reward was great enough.

A huge, wolf-like head sticking out of the water some metres away, staring at them. The head was described as large and hairless.

- Not a description befitting an eel or crocodile.

an enormous sea creature burst from the water, caught the bird in it's jaws and vanish beneath the water surface.

- Admittedly, common crocodile behaviour, but strange that it didn't try to attack other birds that were already in the water.

The creature is described as grey, with four visible flippers and no obvious dorsal fin. Overall it was quite "fish-like".

As he turn back up to resurface, he was struck in the ribs by a huge force. Not staying around to see what it was, he got back to his boat and stormed off, his mission a failure.

(I find it more likely a croc or eel would have bitten the man, though it is completely possible it was just an accidental bump by a large fish.)

The next morning a huge, snake like trail was found in the mud.

- Eels are not known to leave the water, and crocodiles also leave footprints. Seals, on the other hand, leave three distinct, continuous paths.

I think if it was a leopard seal, the two most logical explanations is that it followed the river (if that's possible) or someone released one into the lake before either killing it or (somehow) returning it to the sea. Not plausible, but not impossible.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Ebonykrow

[S2F 3,516]

1972. An old fisherman went missing one night in a particularly long hot summer night. The close knit communtiy spread the word of his dissapearence immediatly and several of his friends went out on their boats to search. Eventually his boat was discovered drifting, empty. There was blood in on the sides and inside the boat, indicating a struggle. Police decided no foul play had been involved and that the old man had slipped, hurt himself badly, then fallen into the water. The absence of a body was noted as "strange, but not implausible"

At this time the idea of a lake monster was only a rumour told in pubs. After the old mans dissapearence the monster became flesh and blood to many locals, who suspected it had been responsible for the mans death. Soon after sensationalist newpapers began selling the story as "Death by Loch Ness Monster!" and the validity of the claims was reduced. As the affair died down, the monster and the old man were remembered only by the locals, many of whom refused to fish alone anymore.

This report could easily be an accident, which seems most likely to me.

1975. Two woman walking on the shore notice an incredible sight: A huge, wolf-like head sticking out of the water some metres away, staring at them. Horrified they screamed, and the monster slunk back into the water. The head was described as large and hairless.

Could be a croc, but I'm not sure about the "wolf-like" head appearance.

1975. A teacher and his wife were boating and observing the birdlife on the lake surface when they witnessed a spectacle they were not soon to forget. A large group of birds had gathered to pick at fish on the otherside of the lake. As a big white bird came to join the others, an enormous sea creature burst from the water, caught the bird in it's jaws and vanish beneath the water surface.

I have heard, and even seen footage of crocs exhibiting this type of predation.

1976 A farmer on the west side of the lake began losing considerable numbers of sheep when they went to drink by the waters edge. Thinking a human to be responsible he waited out with his sheep whilst they drank. He then noticed adark shadow just below the surface of the water where a lamb was moving to take a sip. He shouted, and the huge shape shot off.

Again, classic croc predation tactic. If the croc had been harassed by humans and saw humans as a threat, then that could explain why it fled. Most crocs get aggressive during mating season or when they are guarding a nest or young ones. The rest of the time they usually keep their distance from humans.

1977 Several witnesses see a gignatic monster, 16 feet long, rolling around on the surface, snapping its jaws. News of the sighting spreads like wildfire. The creature is described as grey, with four visible flippers and no obvious dorsal fin. Overall it was quite "fish-like".

This could describe a "death roll". Crocs will usually employ this tactic when the have food too large to swallow in one piece. They will rip off chunks by rolling around with the animal in their mouths. The legs and feet of a croc could be viewed as fins from a distance, especially with the webbed feet.

1977. After the sighting from earlier that year, a hunter from Otago decided to finish off the monster once and for all. He set off at dawn on a boat rigged with radar, harpoons and all ther other essentials to monster-killing. He was out on the Lake for two weeks but failed to uncover anything but the occasional big blip on the radar.

Deciding to have one last shot at it, he put on his wetsuit and dived under. When beneath the water, he found his boat was directly above the wreck of a yacht, which was lying on the bottom of the lake. Curious, he investigated the yacht. As he turn back up to resurface, he was struck in the ribs by a huge force. Not staying around to see what it was, he got back to his boat and stormed off, his mission a failure.

I have heard of crocs "bumping" boats or even other crocs. I don't have a reference for it, it's just something that I have heard.

1979. The monsters final appearence was to a group of fisherman on the lakes western most shore. The beastie was seen to stare at them (As in the 1975 encounter) with it's head partially above water. For some time it swam in slow circles, not taking it's eyes off the men, then left to beneath the water. The next morning a huge, snake like trail was found in the mud.

At time of writing, the Lake Coleridge monster has never been sighted again.

The tails of crocs will leave a serpentine shape along the shore as they slide into the water. This could explain what was seen.

Of course this is all moot if the lake is too cold for crocs. I'm just guessing from what the reports say.

[Undeadskeptic 8]

YOU HAVE ME LEARNING TOO MUCH. >O

Sorry!

I did some map searches and noticed Coleridge is way inland, but the river has (direct?) access to the ocean. The behaviour and appearance I think is much more fitting for a leopard seal, imo. The descriptions seem to give the creature a deeper sense of its surroundings, to the point it doesn't behave fish-like. (I'm going to guess that eel behaviour is pretty similar throughout the eel species, so if I'm wrong, lemme know. I own a small variety of eel, and they're very shy, bottom dwellers. They don't like confrontation and like easy meals (to the point I have to hand-feed them), and rarely come to the surface--especially in the daylight. I haven't done the research, so correct me if that assumption is wrong for the type of eel common in your area.) ANYWAY. Whoo, enough with the rambling.

With this evidence at hand I can safely say an Eel is not as likely but still I doubt people would mistake a leopard seal with a huge lake monster.

Beyond that, it's also difficult for eels to rear up out of the water due to their body shape (they have no leverage, really).

Yes but none of the reports described rearing up out of the water?

A few other things that lead me to believe seal > eel or croc.

Nice use of the greater than symbol!

* The missing man was most likely attacked on board, an apparent impossibility for a completely underwater specimen. Not impossible for a crocodile, but it would have been a task if the man didn't present himself (such as leaning over the edge of the boat). If it was a small vessel, it may have been possible for a large seal to climb aboard if the reward was great enough.

You say it would be a task for a croc to notice him unless he had leaned overboard, but it could have been observing him from a distance? And wouldn't it be just as difficult for a leopard seal to notice him unless watching from afar?

- Not a description befitting an eel or crocodile.

True, it does match a seal quite fittingly. But any fanged/predatory animal can be compared to a wolf, although I think you're right with this one.

- Admittedly, common crocodile behaviour, but strange that it didn't try to attack other birds that were already in the water.

It is strange, but there are a number of reasons a croc could have decided to grab that particular bird in favour of the others.

(I find it more likely a croc or eel would have bitten the man, though it is completely possible it was just an accidental bump by a large fish.)

It could have been anything that struck him really.

- Eels are not known to leave the water, and crocodiles also leave footprints. Seals, on the other hand, leave three distinct, continuous paths.

Eel is ruled out on this one, but crocodile isn't. Crocs leave very serpentine tracks in mud and the footprints are often blurred beyond recognition. Seals waddle, not leaving long, straight lines of mud as if they dragged themselves up.

I think if it was a leopard seal, the two most logical explanations is that it followed the river (if that's possible) or someone released one into the lake before either killing it or (somehow) returning it to the sea. Not plausible, but not impossible.

I think the releasing story is unlikely but it is possible there is an unknown colony in the river, and that one found its way to the lake?

I still am not sure though. Some sightings lean closest to Seal, others lean equally close to croc.

[S2F 3,516]

The thing that bumped the diver could have been a submerged piece of debris, maybe even a log. It sounds like he didn't even look to see what it was, he just high-tailed it out of there.

*Edit: I probably would have done the same thing myself.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Slave2Fate

[Stormcrow 43]

Sorry!

Learning is not an appropriate task for 11:30PM. D:

With this evidence at hand I can safely say an Eel is not as likely but still I doubt people would mistake a leopard seal with a huge lake monster.

Yes but none of the reports described rearing up out of the water?

I might have misread the sighting, then. I shouldn't be up at this hour, uhg. I thought it described the creature as lifting up out of the water to snatch the bird (and I imagined a considerable length coming out of the water xD)

You say it would be a task for a croc to notice him unless he had leaned overboard, but it could have been observing him from a distance? And wouldn't it be just as difficult for a leopard seal to notice him unless watching from afar?

Oh, no, not notice, but actually get to him. The croc could have watched him from a distance or from right under his nose, but actually getting to him would have been the hard part (considering they're not very limber, and neither are seals, but I think it would be easier for a seal to gain leverage to get aboard a boat than a croc. Considering, the croc has a giant tail it has to deal with).

It is strange, but there are a number of reasons a croc could have decided to grab that particular bird in favour of the others.

True, I don't doubt the strange things a croc might think.

It could have been anything that struck him really.

True, true.

Eel is ruled out on this one, but crocodile isn't. Crocs leave very serpentine tracks in mud and the footprints are often blurred beyond recognition. Seals waddle, not leaving long, straight lines of mud as if they dragged themselves up.

Croc is still a possibility, because you are right that it would be difficult to mistake a seal (something I imagine one would get used to seeing). But considering crocs aren't commonplace, it might have been more confusing. I just find some of the descriptions a little strange.

I think the releasing story is unlikely but it is possible there is an unknown colony in the river, and that one found its way to the lake?

I still am not sure though. Some sightings lean closest to Seal, others lean equally close to croc.

It's more likely there is/was a group in the river at the time, and one got curious (rather than one finding its way from the sea to the lake).

It was a seal, and a croc! In it together, from the beginning.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Ebonykrow

[Undeadskeptic 8]

This report could easily be an accident, which seems most likely to me.

Me too. There is no obvious reason to conclude a sea monster ate him IMO.

Could be a croc, but I'm not sure about the "wolf-like" head appearance.

It is common croc behaviour, and I don't know of seals doing it. Wolf-like could be describing the prominent canines, and if it was a juvenile (perhaps only recently released into the lake) these teeth would be more prominent, but it wouldn't have been described as huge unless it was an adult or they exaggerated. A lot.

I have heard, and even seen footage of crocs exhibiting this type of predation.

As have I, but as Ebony said, why did it not attack the birds already on the lake?

Again, classic croc predation tactic. If the croc had been harassed by humans and saw humans as a threat, then that could explain why it fled. Most crocs get aggressive during mating season or when they are guarding a nest or young ones. The rest of the time they usually keep their distance from humans.

This could be seen as evidence towards the released 'pet' story.

This could describe a "death roll". Crocs will usually employ this tactic when the have food too large to swallow in one piece. They will rip off chunks by rolling around with the animal in their mouths. The legs and feet of a croc could be viewed as fins from a distance, especially with the webbed feet.

Sounds right on the mark.

I have heard of crocs "bumping" boats or even other crocs. I don't have a reference for it, it's just something that I have heard.

There's no garuntee that it was anything but a fish that bumped him, or that he made up the story due to his inability to catch the actual animal.

The tails of crocs will leave a serpentine shape along the shore as they slide into the water. This could explain what was seen.

Possibly.

Of course this is all moot if the lake is too cold for crocs. I'm just guessing from what the reports say.

I'll have to do some research to determine if crocs could survive at the lakes temps, but the NZ croc (Assuming it still existed when these sightings occured) could have as it lived on the coast, but was predated to extinction by sharks and orcas and (lol) seals. So t moved further and further inland, possibly causing the taniwha legends, before going extinct. If a relic population had survived in the lake it is possible that they could have been in such small numbers they died out, explaining the sudden cease of sightings.

This wouldn't explain why there had been only a few rumours floating around before the 70's though.

[Undeadskeptic 8]

Sorry, double post.

So...

Carmen Electra's pretty hot.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Undeadskeptic

[Undeadskeptic 8]

Learning is not an appropriate task for 11:30PM. D:

Sorry for my ridiculousness, but it is only 5:50pm over here!

I might have misread the sighting, then. I shouldn't be up at this hour, uhg. I thought it described the creature as lifting up out of the water to snatch the bird (and I imagined a considerable length coming out of the water xD)

Not lifting, leaping xD

Oh, no, not notice, but actually get to him. The croc could have watched him from a distance or from right under his nose, but actually getting to him would have been the hard part (considering they're not very limber, and neither are seals, but I think it would be easier for a seal to gain leverage to get aboard a boat than a croc. Considering, the croc has a giant tail it has to deal with).

But crocs have legs and feet and a much longer neck and jaws! I feel this is more evidential of a crocodile than a seal.

True, I don't doubt the strange things a croc might think.

I can't remeber what I said

True, true.

*Sigh* you give in too easy, where's Makaya when you need him?

Croc is still a possibility, because you are right that it would be difficult to mistake a seal (something I imagine one would get used to seeing). But considering crocs aren't commonplace, it might have been more confusing. I just find some of the descriptions a little strange.

A little strange is an understatement, particularly concerning the wolf-like story.

It's more likely there is/was a group in the river at the time, and one got curious (rather than one finding its way from the sea to the lake).

That's right on the mark! The young one grew up isolated in the lake, explaining it's abnormally viscious behaviour and habit of eating livestock?

It was a seal, and a croc! In it together, from the beginning.

And a dragon! And a bigfoot! And a shadow person!

[Stormcrow 43]

Sorry for my ridiculousness, but it is only 5:50pm over here!

Lucky. D: Crazy timezones...

(And I'm going to go to bed. For some reason, even though I don't look at the keyboard, I can't type in the dark. XD)

Not lifting, leaping xD

OH GOD. I can't read! XDD

But crocs have legs and feet and a much longer neck and jaws! I feel this is more evidential of a crocodile than a seal.

True, but I still wonder how likely it would be if the croc planned to attack the man on the boat instead of pulling him over. In the act of pulling him overboard, a croc would most definitely be more suited, but I still vote seal for being able to climb up on the boat.

*Sigh* you give in too easy, where's Makaya when you need him?

I just see reason, and then no reason to argue about said reasonable reason.

...Looking for Biff. D:

A little strange is an understatement, particularly concerning the wolf-like story.

The wolf-like bit I still don't understand, because it's not really fitting for a croc at all (other than, I guess, the muzzle). I would think people would be more likely to simply compare a croc to a large lizard.

That's right on the mark! The young one grew up isolated in the lake, explaining it's abnormally viscious behaviour and habit of eating livestock?

Could work out. It was a decent amount of time between sightings, it would have had a good long time to grow in the lake.

And a dragon! And a bigfoot! And a shadow person!

Not the dragons! D:

We're doomed.

Bigfoot we could have managed, but now they have the heavy artillery!

Edited January 22, 2009 by Ebonykrow

[Undeadskeptic 8]

And I'm going to go to bed. For some reason, even though I don't look at the keyboard, I can't type in the dark. XD)

Haha, that makes no sense but still I laugh!

OH GOD. I can't read! XDD

*Sun falls from the sky, statues weep tears of blood*

NOOOO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO ! ! ! ! !

True, but I still wonder how likely it would be if the croc planned to attack the man on the boat instead of pulling him over. In the act of pulling him overboard, a croc would most definitely be more suited, but I still vote seal for being able to climb up on the boat.

The animal wouldn't have to climb aboard, there is no evidence it did.

The wolf-like bit I still don't understand, because it's not really fitting for a croc at all (other than, I guess, the muzzle). I would think people would be more likely to simply compare a croc to a large lizard.

We would have to assume these women were simpletons to believe they would not have recognised a reptillian animal and distinguish it from a mammalian one surely?

Not the dragons! D:

We're doomed.

Bigfoot we could have managed, but now they have the heavy artillery!

Whatever happened to DC anyway? Not that I miss him mind, just wondering.

[Orcseeker 1,039]

The thing that bumped the diver could have been a submerged piece of debris, maybe even a log. It sounds like he didn't even look to see what it was, he just high-tailed it out of there.

*Edit: I probably would have done the same thing myself.

considering it hit him with a huge force, i doubt theres logs whipping about underwater or anything else inanimate for that reason.

[Orcseeker 1,039]

wolf-like?

Its hairless and you're looking at a leopard seal.

Bull leopard seals grow to about 3.2m, which is about 10 feet and still doesnt explain the extra 6 feet unless this was a giant one.

Edited January 22, 2009 by Orcseeker