Lake Van Monster

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Lake Van Monster


Statue of the Monster of Lake Van in the city of Van, Turkey
Creature

Name:	Lake Van Monster
AKA:	Van Gölü Canavarı (Turkish)
Classification
Grouping:	Cryptid
Sub Grouping:	Lake monster
Data
First Reported:	1995

Country:	Turkey
Region:	Lake Van, Van
Habitat:	Water
Status:	Unconfirmed

The Lake Van Monster (Turkish: Van Gölü Canavarı) was not reported until 1995 in Lake Van, a large alkaline lake in Eastern Turkey. There are now more than 1,000 people claiming to have witnessed the beast which is reported to measure around fifteen meters long with spikes on its back and appears similar to a Plesiosaur or Ichthyosaurus. Following these reports the Turkish government sent an official scientific survey group to the lake who failed to spot the creature.

In 1997 a local man, Unal Kozak, a teaching assistant at Van University, captured the creature on video which was sent for analysis. He has written a book about the monster. Yet his video is under constant criticism, with questions like why it never pans left, possibly because of a boat that may have carried the creature. Or why the monster only goes straight, instead of curving through the water. Even criticism as to why the breathing is not in and out, but a continuos release, much like the effects of an air hose.

A 4-meter high statue based on reported sightings has been erected to its honor in Van, Turkey.

Skeptics point out that the region would benefit from tourist revenue and a hoax might attract visitors.^[1]