Do extant animals lead to monster stories?

[stereologist 24,286]

Not an cryptid, but this story deals with a rather aggressive bird in Australia that was dubbed the Windsor Road monster. This bird even caused a heart attack.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-03/agressive-magpie-shot-dead-after-hills-shire-council-decision/11473598

Quote

"I had my first heart attack in 2014 which reduced my heart function ... so while trying to defend myself as it would strike, the adrenaline rush caused my heart and lungs to fill with blood and cause another heart attack," he said.

"It just did not stop, even as I was losing consciousness on the ground."

Quote

"[It was] swooping underneath helmets ... to attack people's faces," a council spokesperson said in a statement.

Could such an aggressive animal lead to stories of a monster?

I'm willing to bet that the size of the bird and the injuries it caused will be embellished over time.

 

[Buzz_Light_Year 4,036]

I'm sure mangy Coyotes gave rise to the Chupacabra and mangy bears the Dog Man. Maybe even a large owl is responsible for the Mothman. Who knows?

[jethrofloyd 2,913]

1 hour ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

I'm sure mangy Coyotes gave rise to the Chupacabra and mangy bears the Dog Man. Maybe even a large owl is responsible for the Mothman. Who knows?

And a large eel could be responsible for the Loch Ness monster.

[DebDandelion 3,364]

1 hour ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

I'm sure mangy Coyotes gave rise to the Chupacabra and mangy bears the Dog Man. Maybe even a large owl is responsible for the Mothman. Who knows?

You mean there is no Chupacabra? My life is a lie! 

[DebDandelion 3,364]

11 minutes ago, jethrofloyd said:

And a large eel could be responsible for the Loch Ness monster.

That is one huge eel. 

[DebDandelion 3,364]

1 hour ago, stereologist said:

Not an cryptid, but this story deals with a rather aggressive bird in Australia that was dubbed the Windsor Road monster. This bird even caused a heart attack.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-03/agressive-magpie-shot-dead-after-hills-shire-council-decision/11473598

Could such an aggressive animal lead to stories of a monster?

I'm willing to bet that the size of the bird and the injuries it caused will be embellished over time.

 

I have to disagree to an extent. Monsters, or the perception of what a monster may be would have to have a little more meat to the bones (so to speak). This is simply my opinion. 

For a monster to be declared a monster is needs to be something that strikes fear into the hearts of more than one person, the 'monster' needs to be something that is not easily explained, otherwise it is a nuisance, more than it is a monster. 

It needs to be experienced with some awe, the kinda expression that makes you wonder what you just saw... 

After that encounter I do agree that it gets wilder and weirder as people recount what they saw, what they think they saw etc. 

Again, my humble opinion

[DebDandelion 3,364]

1 hour ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

I'm sure mangy Coyotes gave rise to the Chupacabra and mangy bears the Dog Man. Maybe even a large owl is responsible for the Mothman. Who knows?

I have to say, I find the cryptids fascinating, and a little part of me wants to go on an adventure to find them and appreciate them. And then my mystical side enforces that I might be the one that gets killed while exploring that, cause it is my luck. And then my rational side sighs, and I have to bend the knee in the knowledge that is might not(is not) true. 

Who wouldn't want to live in a place where life holds more than the eye sees? 

I can rant about this forever... 

[stereologist 24,286]

1 hour ago, jethrofloyd said:

And a large eel could be responsible for the Loch Ness monster.

Possible if there were eels that grew that large. The notion of a large eel is based on finding a larval eel years ago that was large. It turned out much later that the adults of that group are not super big, but close to the size of the larval stage. In other species the adults are far larger than the larva.

Has anyone caught a large eel in the Loch?

[jethrofloyd 2,913]

10 minutes ago, stereologist said:

Possible if there were eels that grew that large. The notion of a large eel is based on finding a larval eel years ago that was large. It turned out much later that the adults of that group are not super big, but close to the size of the larval stage. In other species the adults are far larger than the larva.

Has anyone caught a large eel in the Loch?

Do you remember this thread here at the UM, stereologist?

 

[stereologist 24,286]

9 minutes ago, jethrofloyd said:

Do you remember this thread here at the UM, stereologist?

 

Yes I do, but even if that were an eel it is not large enough to be Nessie.

I mentioned the larval eel issue in that thread.

Quote

I've seen some shows which suggest that Nessie might be a gigantic larval eel. In the following link there is a discussion of a large larval eel found in the 1930s and the new interpretation today.

https://www.micahhanks.com/science/leave-the-leptocephalus-alone-a-case-of-mistaken-identity/

 

[TigerBright19 1,892]

I remember the legend of a sea serpent with a long neck, brown scaled skin, and a large eye.  It turned out to be the wreck of an old sailing ship which was resting on its side on the sea floor.  It was covered in fishing nets and seaweed.  The strong current under water had pushed the wreck and rolled it upright which caused the mast to stick above the surface, covered in seaweed and fishing nets and the glare of the masthead light still attached to the top of the mast like an eye.  A passing fishing boat then caught sight of the 'sea serpent' and the wreck rolled back on its side again and the 'sea serpent' was gone.  Thus the legend of the sea monster was born.

 

 

Study of sea serpents.

1906

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1906-08-05/ed-1/seq-2/

 

1912

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1912-08-11/ed-1/seq-42/

Edited October 8, 2020 by TigerBright19

[the13bats 12,035]

Sure, the kellys of hobskinville turned a owl into little men in silver suits attacking them all night, needless to say zero proof or evidence of their claims.

Edited October 8, 2020 by the13bats

[seanjo 6,589]

Pretty sure dragon myths come from dinosaur fossils.

[jmccr8 19,656]

3 hours ago, DebDandelion said:

I have to disagree to an extent. Monsters, or the perception of what a monster may be would have to have a little more meat to the bones (so to speak). This is simply my opinion. 

For a monster to be declared a monster is needs to be something that strikes fear into the hearts of more than one person, the 'monster' needs to be something that is not easily explained, otherwise it is a nuisance, more than it is a monster. 

It needs to be experienced with some awe, the kinda expression that makes you wonder what you just saw... 

After that encounter I do agree that it gets wilder and weirder as people recount what they saw, what they think they saw etc. 

Again, my humble opinion

Hi Deb

Have seen people freak out over a mouse and you would swear it was as big as the kangamouse that Sylvester the cat had seen. 

jmccr8

[DebDandelion 3,364]

2 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Deb

Have seen people freak out over a mouse and you would swear it was as big as the kangamouse that Sylvester the cat had seen. 

jmccr8

Well, on that note I have the same reaction with spiders. Like when Captain Jack ran away from the cannibals. That's me when spidy shows up. There size does matter! 

[the13bats 12,035]

1 hour ago, seanjo said:

Pretty sure dragon myths come from dinosaur fossils.

Yeah, i saw a cool documentry or 2 like that one showed how a masrodon skull looked like a giant cyclops,

And the "Jenny Hanivers" a sideshow gaff made from a dried ray or skate most sideshows have one near the fiji mermaid.

 

[TigerBright19 1,892]

1 hour ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Deb

Have seen people freak out over a mouse and you would swear it was as big as the kangamouse that Sylvester the cat had seen. 

jmccr8

 

I saw a spider on the wall.....

 

 

 

[openozy 2,907]

7 hours ago, stereologist said:

I'm willing to bet that the size of the bird and the injuries it caused will be embellished over time.

Like Chinese whispers,it's why I have to see something for myself to believe it.

[the13bats 12,035]

7 hours ago, stereologist said:

Not an cryptid, but this story deals with a rather aggressive bird in Australia that was dubbed the Windsor Road monster. This bird even caused a heart attack.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-03/agressive-magpie-shot-dead-after-hills-shire-council-decision/11473598

Could such an aggressive animal lead to stories of a monster?

I'm willing to bet that the size of the bird and the injuries it caused will be embellished over time.

 

If you look up the case of Marlon Lowe, depending on version you read, late 70s hes like 10 playing with buddies and a 10 foot condor type swoops down grabs him and tries to fly away with him, version vary but claims of everything from a group saw the attack to his mom Chased the bird with a broom,

Of course the alleged bird drops him, his mother upset over skeptics and papers poking fun goes as far as hunting bird hunters who come up empty.

The story has a lot of weakness to me, the birds description, 10 foot wings white neck ring is like a condor problem is condors do not have grasping feet and even raptors that do pick up pray are lucky to lift 1/3 to 1/2 their weight and only for a short time so several reasons his description doesnt wash, it couldnt lift him.

While his mother claims to have seen it no one else did.

 i doubt he made it up out of ahem, thin air but my guess he saw a big bird and the rest was total embellishment memory is failable and by the time the guys 50 hes filled in the blanks and is adamant a big bird tried to carry him away. Real only in his imagination.

[Nobu 126]

Only Australia would have such an odd looking magpie.

 

OP has a solid point.

[DebDandelion 3,364]

6 hours ago, the13bats said:

If you look up the case of Marlon Lowe, depending on version you read, late 70s hes like 10 playing with buddies and a 10 foot condor type swoops down grabs him and tries to fly away with him, version vary but claims of everything from a group saw the attack to his mom Chased the bird with a broom,

Of course the alleged bird drops him, his mother upset over skeptics and papers poking fun goes as far as hunting bird hunters who come up empty.

The story has a lot of weakness to me, the birds description, 10 foot wings white neck ring is like a condor problem is condors do not have grasping feet and even raptors that do pick up pray are lucky to lift 1/3 to 1/2 their weight and only for a short time so several reasons his description doesnt wash, it couldnt lift him.

While his mother claims to have seen it no one else did.

 i doubt he made it up out of ahem, thin air but my guess he saw a big bird and the rest was total embellishment memory is failable and by the time the guys 50 hes filled in the blanks and is adamant a big bird tried to carry him away. Real only in his imagination.

Then again, a story in the Kalahari says that some predator birds can steal a lam. They call it in Afrikaans a 'lammervanger'. Haven't seen it, heard the story. 

[DebDandelion 3,364]

57 minutes ago, Nobu said:

Only Australia would have such an odd looking magpie.

 

OP has a solid point.

I love the sound the magpie makes, but again my first reaction was 'it is a huge drug upped crow with vengeance issues.'

I may be the reason why people dont believe other people. Lmao. 

[psyche101 41,621]

The show river monsters delves into this subject. Few good ones on that show.  Not extinct, but some rather prehistoric looking fish on there. 

Edited October 9, 2020 by psyche101

[the13bats 12,035]

2 minutes ago, DebDandelion said:

Then again, a story in the Kalahari says that some predator birds can steal a lam. They call it in Afrikaans a 'lammervanger'. Haven't seen it, heard the story. 

We have a lot of "stories" but of the known birds none can lift more than a bit less than half their weight so tales of sheep or other large animals carried off by a raptor are just not substantiated by science.

If a person insisted they saw a hawk or eagle in a tree feeding on a creature over a few pounds i might suggest a cat or other predator took it into the tree and the bird was having a free meal, but the bird didnt haul it up there.

 

[the13bats 12,035]

4 minutes ago, psyche101 said:

The show river monsters delves into this subject. Few good ones on that show.  Not extinct, but some rather prehistoric looking fish on there. 

plecostomus are a great one,

They are sold for home aquariums and grow and are disrupting, they can get several feet long and here in florida are likely in any fresh water body from people dumping them out,

I used to hit a chain of lakes, spring fed but Cyprus tea water too, i was diving collecting golfballs off the bottom and saw a large black ghost which had to have been dumped in the lake