Buzz
Freshwater bodies, covering nearly 2% of the Earth's surface, are home to legendary creatures often dismissed as cheap imitations of the Loch Ness Monster. However, the most fascinating lake monsters have carved out their own terrifying legacies, inspiring unique local myths.
10. Ahuitzotl
In the Aztec Nahuatl language, ahuitzotl translates to “spiny aquatic thing” or “thorny creature of the water.” This five-handed, amphibious hyena-like beast was said to inhabit the waters surrounding Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City.
The ahuitzotl was known to imitate the cries of a child or a distressed woman to attract unsuspecting victims. Using the hands on its legs or the one at the tip of its fearsome tail, it would drag its prey beneath the water.
However, some believe these tales may simply be myths inspired by natural phenomena like undertows, with the creatures resembling Mesoamerican native dogs. These dogs were deeply tied to Aztec culture, symbolizing lightning, sunsets, and death. If the ahuitzotls were linked to Xolotl, the god of death, their watery killings might reflect the religious beliefs of Tenochtitlan's inhabitants.
9. Mishepishu
The Ojibwa tribes of the Great Lakes area referred to their aquatic creature as the mishepishu (“great lynx“). This legendary beast, believed to dwell in various lakes, was thought to cause powerful waves, rapids, and whirlpools in lakes and rivers across the region.
These mythical pseudodragons resemble oversized lynxes with wide paws and scaled backs. Occasionally, they are depicted with horns in various locations on their bodies. Their tails, often made of solid copper, reflect the abundant copper deposits found near Lake Superior.
A traditional story recounts a woman severing the tip of a mishepishu’s tail, which instantly transformed into a piece of copper. Indigenous communities speculated that these great lynxes served as protectors of the copper-rich territories, drowning those reckless enough to venture too far into the waters or unexplored rivers.
8. Emela-Ntouka
In the Lingala language of Central Africa,
The emela-ntouka is often grouped with speculative living dinosaurs believed to inhabit Africa and captivate Western imaginations. Cryptozoologists suggest this elephant killer could be a surviving ceratopsid, akin to a triceratops but lacking the distinctive head frill.
However, ceratopsid fossils are exclusively found in North America, making the Congo an unlikely habitat for such a living fossil. If the emela-ntouka ever existed, it was likely a rare, rhino-like creature, possibly akin to the legendary white buffalo. This could explain why the emela-ntouka is no longer seen today.
7. El Cuero
Cuero, meaning “leather” or “cowhide” in Spanish, refers to El Cuero, a monstrous sheet of flesh said to dwell in Lago Lacar in the Andes. This creature is described as a fleshy, tarp-like being adorned with razor-sharp claws or teeth and eyestalks protruding from its undefined head region.
A scientific theory suggests it could be a massive freshwater stingray, similar to those found in South Asian rivers. However, this doesn’t explain why such a creature would snatch infants from Andean shores or use a straw-like appendage to suck blood from its victims.
Stingrays lack eyestalks and have flat skeletons, but their eyes are relatively large for their size. It’s possible that human imagination has transformed this harmless creature into a terrifying monster.
6. Dobhar-Chu
The Irish dobhar-chu is a massive beast, blending traits of an otter and a wolf. Known for its invulnerable skin and unquenchable thirst for blood, this “Irish crocodile” has been the subject of legends for centuries, with tales of it attacking humans and horses that venture too close to its territory.
Unlike other lake monsters, no known animals in the region resemble the dobhar-chu. If these creatures were abundant, faster than galloping horses, and equally adept on land and water, they might symbolize natural disasters such as flash floods.
For such creatures to exist, they would need to occupy a unique niche. For instance, a flood might carry a victim to a location where their remains are discovered and mutilated by a critically endangered bear, leaving the scene for humans to find later.
5. Lake Worth Goatman
During the summer of 1969, residents of Fort Worth, Texas, reported sightings of a “fishy man-goat” near Greer Island on Lake Worth. This creature, with its intense disdain for amorous teenagers, may have even inspired Friday the 13th. Many accounts of the goatman come from late-night visitors to the area’s popular make-out spot.
The monster was roughly the size and shape of a person in a gorilla suit. However, it reportedly slashed a 45-centimeter (18 in) gash into a car’s side and hurled a tire at another vehicle.
Numerous individuals have contacted local news outlets to confess to being behind the goatman’s antics. With so many conflicting local tales, the truth remains unclear. However, it’s likely just teenagers with too much free time and not enough homework to keep them busy at night.
4. Grootslang
Straight out of a B-movie, the grootslang is a serpent with an elephant’s head, said to inhabit the depths of Africa. While not strictly a lake monster, it primarily dwells in the Wonder Hole—a vast sea cave extending 65 kilometers (40 mi) inland—and nearby lakes and rivers. This creature is a natural guardian against child exploitation, fiercely protecting the diamond-rich Wonder Hole from human greed.
The peril of the Wonder Hole may stem from its very nature—a massive sea cave filled with raw diamonds. However, the legend persists due to the mysterious disappearances and attacks on explorers in the region. For instance, Peter Grayson vanished without a trace in 1917 during an expedition into the Wonder Hole.
Tales of the grootslang might be embellished accounts of encounters with pythons or monitor lizards. This theory gains credibility as the legend’s origins align with white Afrikaners struggling to survive in “wild” territories teeming with creatures they had never before encountered.
3. Beast of Busco
Oscar, the legendary creature of Churubusco, Indiana, was said to be a snapping turtle weighing 225 kilograms (500 lb) and as large as a dining table. Between 1898 and 1949, this colossal turtle was believed to reside in a lake on a local farm. Oscar briefly captured national attention when the farmer attempted to drain the lake to catch the giant turtle and profit from its capture.
While Oscar isn’t a fantastical monster, the idea of an ordinary animal growing to 10 times its normal size is intriguing. Real-life examples of oversized predators exist, such as Gustave, a 6-meter (20 ft) Nile crocodile rumored to have killed over 300 people in Burundi. Similarly, creatures like lobsters can grow indefinitely if they survive long enough.
However, Oscar was never found, leading some to believe it was a trick of the light or an exaggeration. Although the original witness claimed to have been close enough to etch Oscar’s name into its shell, no evidence of the turtle or its shell was ever recovered. This suggests the tale is more of a charming local legend than a factual account.
2. Loveland Frogmen
The Loveland frogmen, spotted around Ohio rivers since 1955, are described as up to three creatures, possibly extraterrestrial. Some theories suggest they could be signaling distant observers, while others depict them as leathery frog or lizard-like beings, standing 1 meter (3 ft) tall with webbed hands and feet.
One incident, reportedly witnessed by 80 people in Brazil, involved a series of captive animal deaths in an area where two frogmen were allegedly captured. These creatures could be a mix of misinterpretations, such as an inexperienced zookeeper or overzealous swimmers. Alternatively, they might have been alligators that strayed far from their habitat over the 50 years of sightings.
In some instances, the frogmen may simply be the result of overactive imaginations. For example, a police officer who claimed to have seen a child-sized frogman in 1972 revised his account in 1999, stating he had actually seen an ordinary lizard.
1. Shellycoat
Old Gregg from *The Mighty Boosh* is essentially a mischievous humanoid lurking in the waters of northern Britain. It’s more of a nuisance than a threat.
According to some legends, the shellycoat can mimic a drowning person to lure rescuers. Once someone attempts to save it, the creature laughs mockingly before swimming away.
Unlike most monsters, the shellycoat isn’t violent or ferocious. Instead, it resembles an anthropomorphic prankster, its body adorned with shells.
Shellycoats don’t symbolize natural phenomena. They likely emerged as a humorous counterpart to mermaids, appealing to Scots who favored playful water spirits over seductive ones.
